The Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) mourns Thursday, December 25, the passing of the renowned actor and director Mohammad Bakri died on Wednesday at the age of 72.
“The legacy left by Mohammed Bakri will remain, reminding us that art can be an act of resistance,” said. Bakri passed away in a hospital in the city of Nahariya, northern Israel, after suffering from heart-related illnesses, according to his family. His health has deteriorated in recent days.
His role as a Palestinian political prisoner in an Israeli prison in the 1980s film Beyond the Walls earned him critical acclaim in Israel and around the world. But his international renown grew with the release of 2002’s Jenin, Jenin, which denounced occupation war crimes in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank during the Second Intifada. The Israeli Supreme Court upheld a ban on the film in 2021, deeming it “defamatory.”
The film drew on interviews with Palestinian residents who survived the military assault. The 11-day offensive killed 52 Palestinians, including women, the elderly and children, and nearly 300 homes were demolished by Israeli bulldozers. The documentary sparked controversy in Israel and led to years of legal action against Bakri, including repeated attempts to ban the film
Despite sustained incitement and legal pressure, Bakri repeatedly affirmed his determination to convey the oppression faced by the Palestinian people to a global audience through his art. Responding to the 2021 court ruling, he said he had no regrets whatsoever about making the movie, adding he would do it all over again if he could turn back time. “I would make the film again to expose the inhumane crimes committed by the occupation army during its invasion of the Jenin refugee camp,” he said. “This is the truth the occupation does not want to hear because it exposes its crimes.”
In August 2024, the Israeli police close the headquarters of the Communist Party in Haifa. Earlier, the police summoned Reem Hazan for the second time and decided to close the party’s headquarters to prevent the screening of Bakri’s new film “Janin Jenin 2” and the launching of an activity against the war in Gaza.
Born in 1953 in the Galilean town of Bi’ina. After completing elementary school in Bi’ina and secondary school in Acre, he studied Arabic literature and theatre at Tel Aviv University. Known for his deep passion for acting, Bakri performed in theatres across the world, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Canada.
He also appeared in numerous films, making his screen debut at age 30 as the main Palestinian character in Costa-Gavras’s 1983 film Hanna K. One of his notable collaborations was with Gaza-born filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, appearing in films such as Haifa (1996) and Laila’s Birthday (2008).
In 1998, he made his debut as a director with the film 1948, released on the 50th anniversary of the Nakba, which chronicled the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The film included survivor testimonies from massacres in Deir Yassin and al-Dawayima, archival photos, and interviews with Palestinian authors such as Taha Muhammad Ali and Liana Badr.
Over his career, Bakri contributed to 43 works as an actor, director and producer. He is survived by his wife, Leila, and six children, including Adam, Ziad and Saleh, who are also actors.
The film drew on interviews with Palestinian residents who survived the military assault. The 11-day offensive killed 52 Palestinians, including women, the elderly and children, and nearly 300 homes were demolished by Israeli bulldozers. The documentary sparked controversy in Israel and led to years of legal action against Bakri, including repeated attempts to ban the film
Despite sustained incitement and legal pressure, Bakri repeatedly affirmed his determination to convey the oppression faced by the Palestinian people to a global audience through his art. Responding to the 2021 court ruling, he said he had no regrets whatsoever about making the movie, adding he would do it all over again if he could turn back time. “I would make the film again to expose the inhumane crimes committed by the occupation army during its invasion of the Jenin refugee camp,” he said. “This is the truth the occupation does not want to hear because it exposes its crimes.”
In August 2024, the Israeli police close the headquarters of the Communist Party in Haifa. Earlier, the police summoned Reem Hazan for the second time and decided to close the party’s headquarters to prevent the screening of Bakri’s new film “Janin Jenin 2” and the launching of an activity against the war in Gaza.
Born in 1953 in the Galilean town of Bi’ina. After completing elementary school in Bi’ina and secondary school in Acre, he studied Arabic literature and theatre at Tel Aviv University. Known for his deep passion for acting, Bakri performed in theatres across the world, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Canada.
He also appeared in numerous films, making his screen debut at age 30 as the main Palestinian character in Costa-Gavras’s 1983 film Hanna K. One of his notable collaborations was with Gaza-born filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, appearing in films such as Haifa (1996) and Laila’s Birthday (2008).
In 1998, he made his debut as a director with the film 1948, released on the 50th anniversary of the Nakba, which chronicled the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The film included survivor testimonies from massacres in Deir Yassin and al-Dawayima, archival photos, and interviews with Palestinian authors such as Taha Muhammad Ali and Liana Badr.
Over his career, Bakri contributed to 43 works as an actor, director and producer. He is survived by his wife, Leila, and six children, including Adam, Ziad and Saleh, who are also actors.
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