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Middle East pins Oscar hopes on young directors

From Lebanon to Egypt to Tunisia, regional countries' Academy Awards nominees for best foreign language film are mostly the works of young directors and center on the lives of young adults and children.
71st Cannes Film Festival - photocall for the film "Capernaum" (Capharnaum) in competition - Cannes, France May 18, 2018. Director Nadine Labaki. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - UP1EE5I0U6PSU
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CAIRO — Middle Eastern countries from Egypt to Lebanon have lined up their candidates for the Academy Awards for best foreign language film, hoping that their young directors and cast of first-timers can bring home the coveted prize.

“The young cineastes of the region have courage and innovation that makes them come up with unique ideas for successful movies,” Ismail Sonaa, the founder of Egypt’s Ismail Sonaa blog on movies, told Al-Monitor. If the young directors pull off a few international awards in 2019, it may mark the beginning of a youth revolution in Middle Eastern cinema, he said.

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