Theeb – Naji Abu Nowar’s film set during the early days of the Arab Revolt – has become the first Jordanian film ever to be nominated for an Oscar. Though it lost out on the night to Hungarian film Son of Saul in the Best Foreign Language Film category, the Oscar nomination capped a hugely successful year for the film, including a Bafta for writer/director Naji Abu Nowar and producer Rupert Lloyd in the Outstanding Debut category, and the Orizzonti Award for Best Director for Naji Abu Nowar at the Venice Film Festival.
The film, telling the story of a Bedouin boy’s coming-of-age, when he embarks on a treacherous journey with a mysterious British Army officer, was shot entirely in Jordan using local Bedouin tribespeople.