Hany Abu-Assad

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Wikipedia

Hany Abu-Assad
هاني أبو أسعد
Abu-Assad in 2020
Born (1961-10-11) 11 October 1961 (age 64)
Nazareth
Known for
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Notable workParadise Now (2006), Omar (2013)
AwardsCannes Special Jury Prize, Golden Globe, European Film Awards

Hany Abu-Assad (Arabic: هاني أبو أسعد; born 11 October 1961) is a Palestinian filmmaker, twice nominated for Academy Awards, in 2006 for the psychological drama Paradise Now, and in 2013 for the drama Omar. Nominated more for more than 50 international film awards, he has won 21 prizes, including a Golden Globe, Cannes Special Jury Prize and best film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Early life

Panoramic view of Nazareth, Abu-Assad's birthplace

Abu-Assad was born into a Palestinian family on 11 October 1961 in Nazareth.[1] He holds Israeli citizenship, but identifies as a Palestinian from Palestine.[2][3] In 1981, he immigrated to the Netherlands, where he studied aerodynamics in Haarlem and worked as an airplane engineer for several years. He also holds Dutch citizenship.[4]

He was inspired to pursue a career in cinema after watching a film by Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi.[5] Abu-Assad initially started as a television producer working on commissions for Channel 4 and the BBC. He co-founded Ayloul Film Productions in 1990 with Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi.[6]

Film career

Abu-Assad's Palestinian identity and the struggle for justice are central to his body of work, but his journey in the world of film began in the Netherlands.[7] He wrote and directed his first short film, Paper House in 1992 for NOS Dutch television. It depicted the efforts of a young Palestinian boy to build a dreamhouse after his own family home had been destroyed, and won several international film festival awards.[8]

The first feature film he directed was in Dutch, Het 14de kippetje (The Fourteenth Chick), in 1998. He co-wrote the script based on a story by writer Arnon Grunberg.[8]

He went on to direct two documentaries focused on his native Palestine: Nazareth 2000 (2000) for Dutch TV and Ford Transit (2002). The latter, which blurred the lines between documentary and fiction, won several awards at human rights and international film festivals, including the Jury Prize at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.[9] It followed a Palestinian taxi driver picking up passengers between checkpoints in the West Bank, including Hanan Ashrawi.[10] Abu-Assad went on to direct the feature film, Rana's Wedding (2002), produced as a Dutch-Palestinian collaboration & filmed in Ramallah and Jerusalem.[8] It won several awards at international film festivals for best film & actress (Clara Khoury).

In 2006, his film Paradise Now won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[11] and received an Oscar-nomination in the same category.[1][2][5][12] It was the first time a film submitted by Palestine for Best International Feature Film was nominated at the Oscars. In 2005 Paradise Now won the Golden Calf for Best Feature Film at the Netherlands Film Festival.

His 2013 film Omar was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival[13] where it won the Jury Prize.[14] In 2014, Omar was the Palestinian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, and was nominated for the award. He is the only Palestinian director to achieved this distinction, and twice.[3][5][15] The film also won the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.[16]

In 2014, Abu-Assad was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[17]

In 2018, Abu-Assad joined the film jury for ShortCutz Amsterdam, an annual film festival promoting short films in Amsterdam.[18][19]

Filmography

Documentaries

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kamin, Debra (17 December 2011). "Palestinian filmmakers long for home". Variety. Retrieved 7 June 2024. "This is Palestine," he says. "They can decide whatever they want," he adds, referring to international governments, "but I don't consider the Palestinian territories the only place Palestinians should live.
  2. 1 2 Hofstein, Avner (3 February 2006). "Oscar nominee: People hate Israelis for a reason". Ynet. Retrieved 7 June 2024. But you carry an Israeli passport. That's true, but I'm not Israeli, he says. Israel calls itself a Jewish state, and I'm not Jewish. If it becomes everybody's state, then I would be able to be called Israeli, he concludes.
  3. 1 2 Kamin, Debra; Steinberg, Jessica (16 January 2014). "Palestinian movie, partly filmed in Israel, gets Oscar Nod". Times of Israel. Retrieved 7 June 2024. The Nazareth-born filmmaker, who carries Israeli citizenship but identifies himself as a Palestinian...
  4. ↑ "Hij wil gaan en hij gaat ook" (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. 20 February 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014. Hany Abu-Assad heeft een Israëlisch en een Nederlands paspoort, hij woont tegenwoordig in Los Angeles, maar, alle relativeringsvermogen en zelfspot ten spijt, hij is en blijft een Palestijn, geboren in Nazareth.
  5. 1 2 3 Case Bryant, Christa (2 March 2014). "Oscar-nominated 'Omar' shines spotlight on film mecca of Nazareth". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Hany Abu-Assad". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Wil Barlow (25 May 2016). "The Idol and the Power of Art". Interview Magazine.
  8. 1 2 3 "Hany Abu-Assad - Biography". San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ford Transit". Jewish Film Institute.
  10. ↑ Maureen Clare Murphy (May 2004). "Film Review:Ford Transit". Electronic Intifada.
  11. ↑ "Paradise Now". Golden Globes. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  12. ↑ "The 78th Academy Awards". oscars.org. 5 March 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "2013 Official Selection". Cannes. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  14. ↑ Richford, Rhonda (26 May 2013). "Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "The 86th Academy Awards". oscars.org. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  16. ↑ "Omar". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  17. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (26 June 2014). "Academy invites 271 people to join". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  18. ↑ "Sisters en Nightshade grote kanshebbers Shortcutz Annual Awards". Filmkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "Shortcutz Amsterdam". kriterion.nl. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2019.

Further reading