19/02/2009 - Caramel, is the first feature film by the Lebanese-born Nadine Labaki. The film premiered at Cannes 2007 within the Directors’ Fortnight section, became a unique case not for showcasing the clichéd conflict theme, but for the intersecting lives of five Lebanese women with universal issues that mesmerised worldwide audiences.

For French producer, Anne Marie Toussaint, faith in the importance of intercultural dialogue meant spending a year of her life to help first-time Lebanese director Nadine Labaki convert her creative vision into an award-winning film. Caramel, a comedy drama with an all-female ensemble cast, finished production only days before war tore Lebanon apart once again. After its triumphant screening in Cannes, the world's largest film festival, the film became a beacon of positive cultural affirmation, an antidote to Lebanon's grim relapse into the nightmare of internecine conflict and all out war.
Caramel received support from the French Centre National de la Cinématographie and the Fonds Sud.
Read the Caramel case study