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Caramel (Arabic:سكر بنات Sukkar banat), the first feature film by Lebanese director/actress Nadine Labaki, is a 2007 Lebanese film. The film premiered on May 20 at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, in the Directors' Fortnight section. It ran for the Caméra d'Or.

Caramel was distributed in over 40 countries, easily becoming the most internationally acclaimed and exposed Lebanese film to date. Audiences around the world have embraced the simple but effective story of five Lebanese women tackling forbidden love, binding traditions, repressed sexuality, the struggle to accept the natural process of age, and duty vs. desire. Labaki's film is unique for not showcasing a war-ravaged Beirut but rather a warm and inviting locale where people deal with universal issues.

The title Caramel refers to an epilation method used in the Middle East that consists of heating sugar, water and lemon juice. Labaki also symbolically implies the "idea of sweet and salt, sweet and sour" and showcases that everyday relations can sometimes be sticky but ultimately the sisterhood shared between the central female characters prevails.

Synopsis
Caramel revolves around the intersecting lives of five Lebanese women. Layale (Nadine Labaki) works in a beauty salon in Beirut along with two other women, Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri) and Rima (Joanna Moukarzel). Each one has a problem: Layale is stuck in a dead-end relationship with a married man; Nisrine is no longer a virgin but is set to be married and in the Arab world pre-marital sex is not accepted; Rima is attracted to women; Jamale (Gisèle Aouad), a regular customer and wannabe actress, is worried about getting old; Rose (Sihame Haddad), a tailor with a shop next to the salon, is an old woman who had devoted her life to taking care of her mentally unbalanced older sister Lili (Aziza Semaan), but has found her first love. The film doesn't refer to any of the political problems or recent warfare that has troubled Lebanon. Rather, Labaki's tale paints everyday people with everyday problems.

Cast and characters
thumb|250px|left| A screenshot from the movie showing Nadine Labaki and Adel Karam
 * Nadine Labaki as Layale
 * Adel Karam as Youssef (The policeman)
 * Yasmine Al Masri as Nisrine
 * Joanna Moukarzel as Rima
 * Gisèle Aouad as Jamal
 * Sihame Haddad as Rose
 * Asiza Semaan as Lili (Rose older sister)
 * Fatmeh Safa as Siham (Mysterious lady with long hair to whom Rima gets attracted)
 * Ismail Antar as Bassam (Nisrine's fiancé)
 * Fadia Stella as Christine
 * Dimitri Stancofski as Charles

Production
The shooting of Caramel ended just 9 days before the Israel war on Lebanon erupted in July 2006, and was released in Cannes exactly one year after the shooting began. An old clothes shop in the Beirut District of Gemmayze was transformed into a salon where the shooting of the film took place. Caroline Labaki, Nadine's sister, was the one responsible for Costume Design. The music was composed by Khaled Mouzanar. Shortly after the movie release, Labaki married him.

Critical and public reception
The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. As of July 1, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 67 reviews. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 70 out of 100, based on 17 reviews. As of May 18th, 2008, the film has grossed a little over $1,000,000 in the U.S., impressive since it's only screening in very limited release. Internationally, it has amassed over $13 million, making it a very profitable foreign film. It was released on DVD in the United States on June 17, 2008.

Awards and nominations
The film is Lebanon's official submission to the 80th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Awards

 * Directors' Fortnight selection 2007.
 * San Sebastian Film Festival Youth Award 2007.
 * San Sebastian Film Festival TCM Audience Award 2007.
 * San Sebastian Film Festival Sebastiane Award 2007.
 * Abu Dhabi Black Pearl for Best Actress for Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Siham Haddad and Asiza Semaan during the Middle east International film festival 2007.
 * Variety Middle East Filmmaker of the Year for Nadine Labaki during the Middle East International film festival 2007.

Nominations

 * Best Feature film in Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2007.
 * Achievement in Directing for Nadine Labaki in Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2007.
 * Performance by an actress for Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Siham Haddad & Asiza Semaan in Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2007.