Mohammad Bakri

Mohammad Bakri
Born	1953 Bi'ina
Occupation(s)	Actor, Producer, Director

Mohammad Bakri (b. 1953) (Arabic: محمد بكري, Hebrew: מוחמד בכרי; also spelled Mohammed or Muhammad) is an Arab actor with Israeli citizenship, known in both Israel and the Arab world.

Early life

Mohammed Bakri was born in the 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 Acre. 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 theaters in Israel and the West Bank notably the Habima Theatre in Tel-Aviv, the Haifa theater and al-Kasaba theater 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 controversial "Jenin, Jenin". Almost all of Bakri's films were influenced by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and internal struggles of the Palestinian people.

Filmography

Jenin, Jenin, a controversial documentary about the aftermath of the Battle of Jenin, directed by Mohammed Bakri.

• "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 (film)" 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

External links

• Mohammad Bakri at IMDb
• Biography on his personal website