Mohammad Bakri

Mohammad Bakri (Arabic: محمد بكري, Hebrew: מוחמד בכרי; also spelled Mohammed or Muhammad) is an Israeli Arab actor, film producer and film director. He is famous in the Arab world, Israel and has also acted in international films.

Early Life

Mohammed Bakri was born in the Israeli-Arab village of Bi'ina (see Shaghur) in the Galilee in 1953. He went to elementary school in his hometown and received his secondary education in the nearby city of Akko. He studied acting and Arabic literature at Tel Aviv University in 1973 and graduated three years later.

Actor and filmmaker

Bakri began his professional acting career in plays in several theatres in Israel and the West Bank notably the Habima Theatre in Tel-Aviv, the Haifa theatre and al-Kasaba theatre in Ramallah. After a few years of acting in Palestinian and Israeli film, Bakri began to act in international films in nations such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada. Bakri also directed two documentary films including the famous "Jenin, Jenin". Almost all of Bakri's films were influenced by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and internal struggles of the Palestinian people.

Filmography

• "Private" by Saverio Costanzo (Italy) 2004
• "The Olive Harvest" by Hannah Elias (Palestine) 2001
• "Desperado Square" by Benny Toraty (Italy/Israel) 1997
• "Haifa" by Rashid Masharawi (Palestine/Netherlands) 1997
• "Sous les pieds des femmes" by Rachid Krim (France) 1995
• "The Milky Way" by Ali Nassar (Israel) 1994
• "The Tale of the Three Jewels" by Michel Khleifi (Palestine/Belgium) 1994
• "Beyond the Walls II" by Uri Barabash (Israel) 1994
• "Cup Final" by Eran Riklis (Israel) 1991
• "Foreign Nights" by Izidore K. Musallam (Canada) 1989
• "Rami og Julie" by Erik Clausen (Denmark) 1988
• "Esther" by Amos Gitai (Israel/UK) 1986
• "Beyond the Walls" by Uri Barabash (Israel) 1984
• "Hanna K." by Constantin Costa- Gavras (Israel/France) 1983

Documentaries

• "1948" (Palestine/Israel) 1999
• "Jenin, Jenin" (Palestine) 2002

Awards

• Golden Leopard for the Best Actor for the role in "Private" by Saverio Costanzo, Locarno International Film Festival 2004
• Palestine Prize for Cinema 1999 Ramallah
• Award for the Best Actor for the role in "Haifa" by Rashid Masharawi, Valencia Festival 1997
• Award for the Best Actor for the role in "Beyond the Walls II" by Uri Barabash, Valencia Festival 1994
• Award for the Best Actor for the role in "Beyond the Walls" by Uri Barabash, Israel 1984

See Also

• Arab citizens of Israel
• Jenin, Jenin
• Shaghur

External links

• Mohammad Bakri at IMDb
• Biography on his personal website