Nadine Labaki Movies

Women try to persuade their men to put a stop to war in this fusion of comedy and drama from director, screenwriter, and actress Nadine Labaki. Amale (Labaki) runs a café in a small Lebanese village where the local women, both Christian and Muslim, get together to talk, swap ideas, and share grief as the number who've lost sons or husbands in frequent skirmishes continues to grow. The fighting between religious and political factions has been going on for years, and one day Amale and her friends Afaf (Layla Hakim), Saydeh (Antoinette Noufaily), Takla (Claude Baz Moussawbaa), and Yvonne (Yvonne Maalouf) decide it's time to stop talking about the fighting and do something to bring it to a halt. The local women join forces to distract their men, convinced if they put their minds on other things they won't worry so much about killing. Their efforts range from serving hashish-laced baked goods at a community get-together to hiring Ukrainian dancers to show off their charms to the menfolk. After a young man is killed in a gun battle, the women realize they need to take a stronger stand if they intend to make their home safe again; meanwhile, Christian Amale unwittingly strikes a blow for religious unity when she falls for handsome Muslim Rabih (Julien Farhat). Et Maintenant On Va Ou? (aka Where Do We Go Now?) won the People's Choice Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Philippe Aractingi's road movie/musical Autobus stars Rodney El Haddad as Kamal, a dancer who brings together feuding fellow dancers in order to start a troupe that offers a modernized spin on the traditional "dabkeh" dance. While their unusual act gets them eliminated from a high-profile contest, their work strikes the fancy of a television journalist who does a piece on the troupe. Soon they tour around performing at various functions, and the motley group of performers must learn to co-exist. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi