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Mohammed Bakri, famous actor and filmmaker who sought to share Complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of actions Arabic And Hebrew died on Wednesday. He was 72 years old.
Bakri was best known for directing Janine, JanineA 2003 documentary about an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city during the second half of the last year Palestinian intifadaThe film focuses on the city-wide destruction and heartbreak palestinian peopleWas banned by Israel.
The goat also acted 2025 movie that’s all you have leftIt is a drama about a Palestinian family over 76 years, including their sons, Adam and Saleh Bakri, both actors. The film has been selected for Best International Feature Film by the Academy Awards.
Over the years, Bakri made several films that spanned the spectrum of the Palestinian experience. He also acted in Hebrew, including at the Israeli National Theater in Tel Aviv, and appeared in several Israeli films in the 1980s and 1990s. He studied at Tel Aviv University.
Bakri, who was born in northern Israel and holds Israeli citizenship, has worked in both film and theatre. His most famous one-man-show, from 1986 pessimisticis based on the writings of Palestinian writer Emile HabibiFocuses on the intricacies and emotions of someone who has both Israeli and Palestinian identities.
During the 1980s, Bakri played roles in mainstream Israeli films, including humanizing Palestinian identity beyond the wallsan original film about Israelis and Palestinians kept in captivitysaid Raya Morag, a professor specializing in cinema and trauma at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“He broke the stereotype of how Israelis view Palestinians, allowing any Palestinian to be treated as a hero in Israeli society. He was a very brave man, and he was brave by standing up to his ideals, by choosing not to conform in any way, and by paying the price in both societies.”
Bakri faced some opposition within Palestinian society for his collaboration with the Israelis. after Janine, JanineHe was plagued by nearly two decades of court cases in Israel, where the film was seen as unbalanced and inflammatory.
In 2022, Israel’s Supreme Court upheld a ban on the documentary, saying it defamed Israeli soldiers and ordered Bakri to pay thousands of dollars in compensation to an Israeli military officer for defamation.
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Janine, Janine This was a turning point in Bakri’s career. In Israel, Morag said, he became a polarizing figure and never worked with mainstream Israeli cinema again. “Despite all the pressures from within and without, he remained true to himself,” he said. “He was a steadfast voice that did not change over the years.”
Local media quoted Bakri’s family as saying he died on Wednesday after suffering from heart and lung problems. His cousin Rafiq told the Arabic news site al-jarmak Bakri was a staunch supporter of the Palestinians who used his actions to express support for his people.
Using the pseudonym Bakri, he said, “I am sure that Abu Saleh will live in the memory of the Palestinian people everywhere and all the people of the free world.”