Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Douieri's latest feature film, The Insult, has now officially been selected to represent Lebanon at next year's Academy Awards, Annahar reported on Wednesday.
In his statement on the matter, the country's Minister of Culture, Ghattas Khoury said:
"A committee who handles the responsibility of selecting an annual entry to the Academy Awards voted in favor of Doueiri's feature and it deserves to represent our country abroad."
The film premiered at The Venice film festival last week and has been receiving rave reviews since.
Set in modern day Beirut, The Insult revolves around a minor argument that erupts between Toni, a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee, and eventually escalates into an intense legal battle that becomes a matter of public opinion.
Already hailed by critics "as a fascinating, parable-like exploration of the tension between two facets of Lebanon’s Arab community," the film depicts the "effect of historical trauma on modern Lebanese society."
Prerelease success...
The film, which is set to begin screening in Lebanese cinemas on September 14, has become an international success even before its official release.
According to Variety, the feature "is turning out to be one of the early standout titles in the Venice Film Festival competition, with distribution deals now in place for the U.S. and several European markets."