The Insult (2017)

After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.

Director:

Ziad Doueiri

Writers:

Ziad Doueiri, Joelle Touma

Stars:

Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adel Karam	...	Tony Hanna
Kamel El Basha	...	Yasser Abdallah Salameh
Camille Salameh	...	Wajdi Wehbe
Diamand Bou Abboud	...	Nadine Wehbe (as Diamand Abou Abboud)
Rita Hayek	...	Shirine Hanna
Talal Jurdi	...	Talal (as Talal El Jurdi)
Christine Choueiri	...	Manal Salameh
Julia Kassar	...	Judge Colette Mansour
Rifaat Torbey	...	Samir Geagea
Carlos Chahine	...	Judge Chahine
Walid Abboud	...	Television Host
Georges Daoud	...	Georges Hanna
Elie Njeim	...	Elie
Sami Hamdan	...	Ibrahim Nassar
Tony Mehanna	...	The President

Storyline

In today's Beirut, an insult blown out of proportions finds Toni, a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee, in court. From secret wounds to traumatic revelations, the media circus surrounding the case puts Lebanon through a social explosion, forcing Toni and Yasser to reconsider their lives and prejudices.

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Plot Keywords:

court case | courtroom drama | prejudice | insult | palestinian | 

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Taglines:

Words Change Everything.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Cyprus Belgium Lebanon USA

Language:

Arabic

Release Date:

25 June 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Insult

Filming Locations:

Beirut, Lebanon

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,957, 14 January 2018

Gross USA:

$1,001,305

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,601,603

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ezekiel Films, Tessalit Productions, Rouge International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 144359.

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Quotes

Wajdi Wehbe: Wajdi Wehbe: No one has a monopoly on suffering.

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Connections

Referenced in Sean Bradley's First Reaction: 90th Academy Awards - Nominations (2018)

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Soundtracks

Lebanese Forces Hymn
© & P The Lebanese Forces

User Reviews

It all began with an insult...

The Insult is the definition of a great cinematic achievement. It is the new movie directed by Ziad Doueiri and tells the story of Toni a Christian Lebanese who got into a fight from an insult blown out with a Palestinian plumber. Haunted by their past and the civil war, they went really far with it and the movie took unexpected turns and surprises. Doueiri and Touma wrote a splendid courtroom drama script that is really tense, exciting and really fair for the two sides. It reminded me of the great Sidney Lumet movies with a touch of political background. That film has great characters rich with backup stories and it wouldn't be great without the marvelous cast. Each actors gave an Oscar worthy performance. Thumbs up for Karam, Hayek and Diamand Bou Abboud. I must give credits to Camille Salemeh because he led the show for sure! Doueiri worked hard on letting the actors give their best for the characters. Cinematography and score were also on a high level here! Doueiri is a superb director. His debut West Beirut has always been every Lebanese's favorite. The Insult was competing in Venice (It won best actor for Kamel Basha and had a 5 minutes standing ovation), Telluride, TIFF and it the official submission for Lebanon at the Oscars for best foreign language movie. Daring, bold and smart, this movie is big step forward for the Lebanese cinema.