Palestinian Actor and Director Mohammad Bakri Passes Away
According to Cinemadrame News Agency, the prominent Palestinian actor and director Mohammad Bakri has passed away at the age of 72. Bakri’s family announced that his funeral was held in his birthplace, the village of Bi’ina. The filmmaker’s son, who is also an actor, confirmed his father’s passing on Instagram.
Bakri began his professional career in the 1980s, performing in both Hebrew and Arabic theaters across Palestine and Israel. His film debut was in “Hanna K.”, a work by the Oscar-winning Greek-French director Costa-Gavras.
Since then, Bakri appeared in dozens of films, including the 1983 Israeli film “Beyond the Walls”, directed by Uri Barbash. The film, which tells the story of inmates in an Israeli prison, was nominated for an Academy Award.
In an interview with Ynet this Wednesday, Barbash remarked that Mohammad Bakri did not have an easy life within Israeli society and had long coped with boycotts, isolation, and rejection.
As a director, Bakri created the documentary “Jenin, Jenin” in 2002, which chronicled the lives of residents in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. In the film, he interviewed Palestinians displaced following “Operation Defensive Shield.” Jenin, Jenin sparked significant controversy in Israel and was swiftly banned by the Israel Film Board.
His solo performance, “Bakri’s Monologue,” staged at the Al-Kasaba Theatre in Ramallah, was an adaptation of the book “The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist” by the renowned author Emile Habibi.
