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Zain Al Rafeea

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Zain Al Rafeea
13-year old Al Rafeea at the2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Born(2004-10-10)10 October 2004(age 20)
Daraa,Syria
NationalitySyrian
CitizenshipNorway
OccupationActor

Zain Al Rafeea(Arabic:زين الرافعي,born 10 October 2004)[1]is a Syrian-born Norwegian actor. He is best known for his starring role in the 2018 Lebanese filmCapernaum,which won theJury Prizeat the2018 Cannes Film Festival.

Life and career

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Al Rafeea was born inDaraa,Syria in 2004 before his family moved to Lebanon in 2012.[2][3]ASyrian refugee,he grew up in theslumsofBeirutwith his parents.[4][5]He was 12 and illiterate during the production ofCapernaum.[6]He was not trained as an actor.[7]Al Rafeea'sCapernaumcharacter, Zain, is named after him.[8]

In November 2018, directorNadine Labakireported Al Rafeea's situation had changed:

Finally, he has aNorwegian passport.He's resettled in Norway. He's been there for the past three, four months. He's going to school for the first time in his life. He's learning how to read and write. He's regained his childhood. He's playing in a garden; he's not playing anymore with knives and in garbage.[9]

Al Rafeea began attending school inHammerfest.[10]

ForCapernaum,Al Rafeea was nominated for theAsia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor.[11]He also won Best Actor at the 2018International Antalya Film Festival.[12]The New York Timesnamed his as one of the best performances of 2018, with reporter Wesley Morris writing, "Every once in a while, you leave a movie having seen a performance that mocks all the other acting that came before it".[7]James Verniere of theBoston Heralddescribed Al Rafeea as "partOliver Twist,partJames Dean".[13]

In 2021, he appeared as a villager in theMarvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) filmEternals.[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Capernaum Zain El Hajj
2021 Eternals Mesopotamian Young Man
TBA The Sand Castle† Adam Post-Production

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref
2018 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival Best Actor Capernaum Won
Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actor Nominated
New Mexico Film Critics Best Young Actor/Actress Won [15]
2019 The Lebanese Movie Awards Best Ensemble Cast Nominated
FEST International Film Festival Best Debut Won
40th Annual Young Artist Awards Breakout Performance Award Won [16]

References

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  1. ^"Capernaum || A Sony Pictures Classics Release".Sony Pictures Classics.Retrieved13 February2019.
  2. ^"Après avoir ému Cannes, le petit héros de" Capharnaüm "dort devant la presse".L'Express(in French). 18 May 2018.Retrieved5 December2018.
  3. ^"Syrian boy takes incredible path from refugee to red carpet – UNHCR Northern Europe".UNHCR.22 February 2019.Retrieved8 November2019.
  4. ^Ritman, Alex (9 May 2018)."Cannes: Nadine Labaki on 'Capernaum' and Resisting the Lure of Hollywood".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved3 December2018.
  5. ^"Child actor's journey from slums to stardom".BBC News.20 February 2019.Retrieved11 May2019.
  6. ^Welk, Brian (20 November 2018)."'Capernaum' Director Nadine Labaki Says Refugee Child Star Is Safe and Resettled (Video) ".The Wrap.Retrieved3 December2018.
  7. ^abMorris, Wesley (7 December 2018)."The Best Performances of 2018".The New York Times.Retrieved7 December2018.
  8. ^Grobar, Matt (15 November 2018)."'Capernaum' Director On The High Price Children Are Paying For Society's Mistakes — Awardsline Screening Series ".Deadline Hollywood.Retrieved3 December2018.
  9. ^Staff (21 November 2018)."'Capernaum' team on Cannes success and the importance of using non-professional actors ".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved3 December2018.
  10. ^"Går på skole i Hammerfest – har hovedrollen i Oscar-nominert film"(in Norwegian).NRK.January 2019.Retrieved25 January2019.
  11. ^"2018 APSA Nominees Announced".Asia Pacific Screen Awards.17 October 2018.Retrieved24 October2018.
  12. ^@AntalyaFF (5 October 2018)."En İyi Erkek Oyuncu / Best Actor Zain Al Rafeea (Kefernahum / Capernaum)"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  13. ^Verniere, James."'Capernaum' sheds light on refugee plight in Lebanon ".Boston Herald.Retrieved26 January2019.
  14. ^"Angelina Jolie's iconic Elie Saab gown nabs spotlight at 'Eternals' premiere".Arab News.19 October 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 5 November 2021.Retrieved5 November2021.
  15. ^Magidson, Joey (9 December 2018)."Sunday Precursors: LAFCA, NYFCO, New Mexico, Toronto (And More) All Announcing – Check Back for Updates! • AwardsCircuit – By Clayton Davis".AwardsCircuit – By Clayton Davis.Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2018.Retrieved24 January2019.
  16. ^"2019 Winners".Young Artist Awards.Retrieved27 September2019.
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