Theeb
Directed by Naji Abu Nowar | Jordan/UK/United Arab Emirates/Qatar | Arabic w/ English subtitles | 2015 | Fiction | 96 mins
Nominated for the 2016 Academy Awards; New Directors/ New Films; Best Director, Venice
Co-sponsored by the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program, celebrating their 25th anniversary
We are very pleased to offer our audience a second chance to watch one of the 2015 Vermont International Film Festival favorites.
Fans of David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia might recognize the World War I-era clash of the British and Ottoman empires amidst the windswept desert landscapes of the Arabian Peninsula, but the taut narrative and unadorned action of Theeb more closely resemble the barebones Westerns of Budd Boetticher and Anthony Mann than the epic leanings of Lean. Set in the Hijaz region of present-day Saudi Arabia, Theeb (meaning “wolf” in Arabic) focuses on a Bedouin boy who tags along with his brother on an ill-fated journey to guide a British solider to a strategically situated water well. But unlike George Stevens’ archetypal Western Shane told through the merely observant eyes of a hero-worshipping boy during the late 19th century Wyoming range wars an ironic twist of fate turns the young Bedouin protagonist of Theeb into a reluctant hero in director Naji Abu Nowar’s beautifully shot and morally ambivalent feature debut.
For the best value and experience, we highly recommend purchasing a full festival pass. For more information about passes, go HERE.