" Theeb " won big at the 2016 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, taking home the prize for "outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer" Sunday night.
Written and directed by Jordanian-British Naji Abu Nowar and produced by British Rupert Lloyd, the film was set in Jordan and starred actual Bedouins in the lead roles of the film. Making the international film festival circuit, "Theeb" has received wide acclaim from critics and has also been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The drama is a coming-of-age tale that tells the story of a young Bedouin boy named Theeb who goes on a remarkable journey through the Arabian desert during World War I to guide a British officer to his destination.
The film, credited with being the “first Bedouin Western,” has been widely praised for its originality and authenticity, which stems from the fact that Nowar lived in the Jordanian desert with the country’s Bedouin community for months to learn their way of life and sense of humor in preparation for the film.
Moreover, Nowar chose real-life Bedouin tribesmen to play every Bedouin character in the film, including Theeb, played by Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat. The only professional actor on set was British actor Jack Fox, who played Edward.
The film premiered at the 71st Venice International Film Festival, where it won Nowar the award for best director, it also won best debut film at the 2015 Beijing International Film Festival.
In addition, it won best script at the 43rd Belgrade International Film Festival, best film from the Arab World at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography and Artistic Direction at the 2014 Cairo International Film Festival.