Nadine Labaki Quotes

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Nadine Labaki

Profession : Actress

Birth : February 18, 1974

Religion is a very delicate subject in Lebanon. You have to know how to say things in a very delicate way in order to be accepted.

Nadine Labaki

I am a woman. I definitely have a woman's perspective. I'm also a mother, and I think, because of that, I feel responsible to try and make a difference.

Nadine Labaki

I thought if my son was now eighteen years old and he was tempted to join the fight and take the burden of protecting his family - because it's always tempting especially for young men - what would I do as a mother to stop him?

Nadine Labaki

I was watching TV and saw people with masks, weapons, and grenades. I thought, Is that really possible? Could we be here yet again? And go into civil war one more time?

Nadine Labaki

Beirut turned into a war zone in a matter of hours. We were stuck at home, the roads were blocked.

Nadine Labaki

I like to have the impression that whatever is happening is true.

Nadine Labaki

A small film from a small country, in Arabic with nonprofessionals: It was practically impossible. Just to make it was like a dream to me.

Nadine Labaki

I want to keep talking about my people and my country in my own language.

Nadine Labaki

When people say to me, 'You make us proud,' it's heartwarming to hear that.

Nadine Labaki

I don't like to be feared, and I can't work in conflict, I'm very bad with conflict. I try to avoid it, it paralyzes me.

Nadine Labaki

I'm just someone who observes a lot.

Nadine Labaki

I've never felt that my job was difficult because I'm a woman. It's a difficult job regardless, and it's even more difficult in Lebanon because there's no film industry. There's no structure, funding, or institutions for filmmakers.

Nadine Labaki

Films can make you dream. They allow you to imagine a different world. It's why I decided to become a filmmaker. I wanted that even though it seemed impossible.

Nadine Labaki

When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time at home because of the war. We couldn't go out and play or go to school. Boredom was a big part of my life.

Nadine Labaki

I was lucky because I used to live right next to a video-rental store. I used to spend so much time watching films. So I've seen a lot. I used to watch 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' and have seen every kind of film. I've been influenced by everything I've seen.

Nadine Labaki

I've seen so many women in my family, so many mothers, that have lost children in the war in such absurd ways. I wonder how they do it. How do they keep living? How do they keep smiling?

Nadine Labaki

I think you owe it to yourself and you owe it to your status as an artist to be true to who you are.

Nadine Labaki

Self-censorship has become a part of me. I think because we live in a place where community is very important, family is very important, you feel the weight of how people look at you. Even though I might seem very modern and very liberated, I still have a lot of issues to deal with. I'm scared of how people look at me.

Nadine Labaki

I have learned to do what I want without hurting anyone. I've learned how to get away with it, with everything. I'm getting away with what I'm trying to do on film but also in my own way.

Nadine Labaki

Lebanon is not only burning buildings and people crying in the street. When you say 'Lebanon,' especially to foreigners, that's the first thing they think of.

Nadine Labaki