The Insult

press release:

Lebanon, France | 2017 | DCP | 113 min. | Arabic with English subtitles

Director: Ziad Doueiri; Cast: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh

A Lebanese Christian car mechanic and a Palestinian Muslim construction worker in Beirut begin a heated personal argument about a broken drain pipe, leading to a highly publicized legal battle that threatens to disrupt both of their lives and their families. With complex relationships and surprising turns, Lebanese filmmaker Doueiri’s gripping, thought-provoking courtroom drama offers an intricate portrait of the divisions that haunt even routine interactions in this highly charged setting. Kamel El Basha won Best Actor at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. Presented with support from UW Madison’s Middle Eastern Studies program.

Premiere Showcase is the Cinematheque’s effort to bring the boldest and most exciting new cinema back to the big screen. Crafted with the same curat­orial acuity we bring to our repertory series, Premiere Showcase presents exciting new work by contem­porary directors that would otherwise have no theatrical venue in the area. Our selections for this calendar begin with Agnès Varda’s whimsical road movie Faces Places. Also included are Aki Kaurismäki’s funny and moving The Other Side of Hope, shown in a rarefied new 35mm print; The Insult, a powerful new movie from Lebanon; and, part of our annual LACIS selections, new movies from South American directors Lucrecia Martel (Zama) and Daniela Thomas (Vazante).

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.