Lebanese director Nadine Labaki started off 2019 on the right foot. Scoring an Oscar nomination for her heart-wrenching film Capharnaüm was just the beginning.
The film - which tells the story of a child who struggles to survive and sues his family "for giving him life in the first place" - became the second-ever Lebanese film to make it that far off in the race. The director was also the first female Lebanese filmmaker to earn a nomination.
She received enormous praise from American media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and then got invited to her home for lunch.
But, have you ever thought about how emotional the nomination must have been for Labaki? Well, she shared a video on Instagram a few days ago depicting the overwhelming level of excitement.
"I'm touched and overwhelmed"
In the video, Labaki can be seen video-calling Zain Al Rafeea - the young Syrian actor who starred in the film. She was informing the 12-year-old that the film has been nominated for an Oscar. Turns out, he was following the Academy Award announcements from school.
"Oh, you're watching from class," Labaki can be heard asking.
"Yes, we tuned in just to watch," he replied. Then, Labaki begins crying.
"Why are you crying?" he asks.
"Because I'm touched ... overwhelmed," she replied.
Capharnaüm's success on the international scale:
The Lebanese film is screening in cinemas across the globe including the U.S., UK, and France.
Following its release last year, Capharnaüm received international acclamation, and earned a 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Jury Prize award at the festival.
Labaki's masterpiece has since been nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards), an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe in the Foreign Language Film category.
The film has also won awards at different film festivals around the world including the Stockholm International Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the Qatari Ajyal Film Festival.