Theeb

Theeb
Film poster
Directed byNaji Abu Nowar
Written by
  • Naji Abu Nowar
  • Bassel Ghandour
Produced by
  • Bassel Ghandour
  • Rupert Lloyd
  • Nadine Toukan
  • Nasser Kalaji
  • Laith Majali
  • Diala Al Raie
  • Yanal Kassay
StarringJacir Eid Al-Hwietat
CinematographyWolfgang Thaler
Edited byRupert Lloyd
Music byJerry Lane
Production
companies
  • Bayt Al Shawareb
  • Noor Pictures
  • Immortal Entertainment
Distributed byMAD Solutions (MENA)
New Wave Films (UK)
Release dates
  • 4 September 2014 (2014-09-04) (Venice)
  • 19 March 2015 (2015-03-19) (UAE)
  • 19 March 2015 (2015-03-19) (Jordan)
  • 14 August 2015 (2015-08-14) (UK)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries
  • Jordan
  • United Kingdom
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Qatar
LanguagesHejazi Arabic
English
Box office$774,556

Theeb (Arabic: ذيب dhīb [ðiːb], "wolf") is a 2014 internationally co-produced period drama thriller film written and directed by Naji Abu Nowar. It is a coming-of-age story about a Bedouin boy, Theeb, who must survive in the wide-open Wadi Rum desert. The film takes place during the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World War, in the wake of the Great Arab Revolt against the ruling Ottoman Empire. The film used non-professional actors from the Bedouin community in southern Jordan, and is considered a "Bedouin Western". It has also been described as a coming-of-age film. Theeb is an international co-production from Jordan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

The film premiered in the Horizons section at the 71st Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2014, where Abu Nowar won the award for Best Director. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, making it the first Jordanian nomination ever. At the 69th British Academy Film Awards, Theeb was nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language, where Naji Abu Nowar and Rupert Lloyd won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.