Mohammad Bakri is an award-winning actor, theatre and film director, and graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Theatre Arts. Bakri has appeared in plays that ran at Israel’s national Habima Theatre, the Khan Theatre, Haifa Theate, the Al Qasba Theatre, Al-Midan Theatre, and many more. Uri Barabash’s 1984 film, Beyond the Walls, won Bakri a host of awards including the Kinor David (‘David’s violin) award, and the Israeli Cinema Quality Award . Highlights of his other film credits include Fellow Travellers (Judd Ne’eman, 1984), On a Clear Day you Can See Damascus (Eran Riklis, 1984), Esther (Amos Gitai, 1986), Cup Final (Eran Riklis, 1991), Beyond the Walls II (Uri Barabash, 1992), Double Edge (Amos Kollek, 1992), Scar (Haim Bouzaglo, 1995), The Milky Way (Ali Nassar, 1997), Desperado Square (Benny Toraty, 2001), Nuzhat al-Fuad (Judd Ne’eman, 2006), and Inertia (Idan Haguel, 2015).
In 2003, Bakri directed the documentary Jenin, Jenin which followed his tour of the city, including a series of conversations he’d had with locals in which they claimed IDF soldiers had allegedly committed war crimes during the 2002 Israeli military campaign, Operation Defensive Shield. On its release, the film sent shockwaves through the country, triggering a tsunami of protests. After initially being banned by the Israeli Board of Film Classification, Bakri appealed to the supreme court where the decision was promptly overturned; however, the court also ruled that the film did in fact include a host of false statements and allegations. The film was met with tremendous success around the world and was featured in many festivals.
Bakri is the father of actor, Saleh Bakri.
