Caroline Labaki vividly recalls how as a young child her heart mysteriously raced at movie theaters during the opening scenes; she remembers the happiness and the excitement of it all. She also recalls her inability to differentiate between fact and fiction when it came to events occurring in films. And it was during this phase that she began developing an insatiable curiosity to figure out how things were done behind the scenes. The urge to learn about the dynamics of movie making was intensifying over time. Slowly but surely, the infatuation with films was growing stronger as the never-ending stream of movies flooded the darkened living room. Free time was always an opportunity to venture into worlds one cannot experience in real life. “Through movies, one can live the life of someone else and have totally different experiences,” says Labaki.
Ironically, she learned how to communicate in English through devouring the excess dosages of films on daily basis – long before she began learning the language at school. Fairytale stories by Walt Disney were a staple in her diet of movies; so were the comedies including Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Top Secret. Soon the fascination evolved to downright addiction. She now had to learn about the latest film productions; she wanted to know more about the actors and about the tricks of storytelling. Labaki was gradually becoming more adept at predicting the endings of movies; the proper methods of narrating were becoming less and less alien to her. By now, it became clear to the family what their youngest child desired to do in life when she grew up.
Consequently, her enrollment in the Audio/Visual major at University of Saint Joseph came as no surprise to anyone. And while theoretical studies did not whet her appetite, Labaki excelled at hands on projects. And the biggest benefit of those four years at college was acquiring the necessary self-confidence to walk down the road of movie making. The short film for her diploma was titled Harara. Technically, the film was great and garnered praise from Labaki’s university professors. After graduating, Labaki began exploring different avenues and started producing for her sister, director Nadine Labaki. Even though the experience was great, Labaki had to stop producing and do what she always wanted to do in life: to direct ads, music videos and, eventually, films. Her head was just filled with numerous concepts that were begging to be brought to life.
Her directorial debut was the music video for the song “Marsul El Hobb” by Moroccan singer Hasna. And even though her means were humble and her experience was somehow limited at that time, the adventure of filming her first music video was simply astounding. From there on, Labaki began receiving offers left and right to direct music videos. Highlights so far have included “Lee Han Dee3” for singer Dina Hayek, which received encouraging feedback and propelled her career to higher heights. Two music videos for Rami Ayash then followed – “Ya Msahar 3ayni” and “Bhibak Ana”. Carole Smaha also collaborated with Labaki on two music videos: “Ghali 3alayi” and “Sma3ni”. All the aforementioned productions received critical acclaim and made Caroline Labaki a name to be reckoned with.
Although Labaki has nothing to prove to anyone anymore, she still has a lot to prove to herself. Driven by her undying love for the realm of directing, she continues to experiment in the different aspects of her field. “Directing is a lot of work and sometimes you just need a break,” she maintains. And despite all the anxiety that often plagues those who are perfectionists by nature, Labaki can never imagine her life revolving around a different domain. After all, directing is what gives meaning to her existence.
