Theeb dream is over as Hungarian holocaust drama takes prize

Best Foreign Film Director Naji Abu Nowar, left, and cast arrive on the red carpet for the 88th Oscars in Hollywood, California. Valerie Macon / AFP photo

Desert drama Theeb narrowly missed out on Oscars glory when it was beaten to the prize for Best Foreign Language Film award by the pre-event favourite, Hungarian holocaust drama Son of Saul.

Theeb is a coming-of-age-drama about a Bedouin boy's battle to survive in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. It was partly funded by Abu Dhabi's Sanad film development and post-production fund.

It had its regional premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014.

The film is particularly notable for casting Bedouins living in the Jordanian desert, who had no acting experience, in the lead and supporting roles, including the title character, played by 13-year old Jacir Eid Al Hwietat.

Theeb's British-Jordanian director and co-writer Naji Abu Nowar, who described the film as "a Bedouin Western", was hoping to add Oscars success to the clutch of awards the film has picked up at festivals around the globe, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Venice and Beijing. Most recently, Nowar and producer Rupert Lloyd received the prize for Outstanding Debut at the Baftas.

Although Nowar and Lloyd were unsuccessful in their quest for Oscars success, the nomination alone was an incredible achievement and thrust the film into the international spotlight, which should help Nowar to to achieve his ambition of making more films spotlighting the culture and lifestyle of tribes in his native Jordan. Laszlo Nemes' Son of Saul is set in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 and tells the story of a prisoner trying to find a rabbi to bury his dead son.

The film also won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film festival last year and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

“I want to thank the academy for this incredible honour, and thanks to Hungary for funding us,” he said as he collected the Oscar. “I want to share this award with Geza Rohrig, my main actor, and the incredible crew who believed in this project even when no one else did.

“In the darkest days of mankind there is always that voice within us that allows us to remain human, and that’s what this is about.”