Part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s mission is to foster greater understanding through world cinema. This year 72 Foreign Language films were submitted for Golden Globes consideration. Here is an overview of one of them.

Set against the backdrop of the first World War in 1916 Western Arabia, when the Ottoman empire was on the brink of collapse and the British were scheming to take over the Middle East, Theeb tells the story of a Bedouin boy from a family of pilgrim guides named Theeb, who joins his older mentoring brother on a journey across the desert to guide a British soldier and his Arab escort to a well near the Othoman train tracks and witnesses him being killed in a bandits’ ambush attack. Left alone without food and water in an inhospitable environment, Theeb has to trust his brother’s killer in order to survive.

Dubbed the “first Arab Western movie”, Theeb was shot in Wadi Arabeh and Wadi Ram in Jordan, conjuring up the grandeur of Monument Valley and offering stunning images. To capture the beauty of the landscape and the spirit of its inhabitants, its British-Jordanian director, Naji Abu Nowar, hired the veteran Austrian cinematographer, Wolfgnag Thaler, and cast local Bedouins to play the lead and supporting roles.

Prior to shooting the film, Abu Nowar spent 8 months living with the nomadic tribes, where he absorbed their culture, observed their traditions, learned their dialect and trained 11 locals, whom he selected from 250 candidates, in acting. His efforts didn’t go to waste; his actors deliver subtle but powerful performances, winning over the audience with the exhibition of palpably real emotions.

Theeb is Abu Nowar’s first feature, but it’s an epic achievement for the nascent Jordanian cinema, excelling on all levels. It tells an intimate human story with an epic vision, conjuring up the work of iconic filmmakers such as John Ford and David Lean. Other than achieving a critical acclaim, it has collected several awards in film festivals around the world, including the coveted Orizzonti for Best Director award for Abu Nowar at last year’s Venice International Film Festival.

Sam Asi