“The Insult” movie back to Lebanese cinemas

Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri said on Thursday that his movie “The Insult” will be back in Lebanese cinemas as of today.

Yesterday, Ziad Doueiri's Lebanese drama "The Insult," was nominated for best foreign language film, while Syrian Firas Fayyad's "Last Men in Aleppo," which focuses on the work of the White Helmets volunteer rescuers, was nominated for best documentary.

"The Insult," set in Beirut, is about a verbal slanging match between two individuals that leads to a highly publicized trial highlighting the sectarian tensions simmering in Lebanese society.

"It was such good news when we got it, because this is the first time Lebanon arrives to the Oscar and you know you offer a little bit of hope," Doueiri told Reuters. "It's like winning a medal, it’s like going to the Olympics and your team for the first time wins the bronze medal or the silver medal."

The film is the first from Lebanon to be nominated for an Oscar since the country began submitting movies for consideration in 1978.

"The Insult" has been screened in Lebanon despite a boycott campaign prompted by the fact that Doueri made a previous film, "The Attack," in Israel, with which his country remains in a technical state of war.

Doueiri was subsequently arrested and questioned by a military court, but was not charged with any offense.

 

LBCI/REUTERS