Mohammad Bakri, the Palestinian actor and filmmaker known for exploring the layered realities of Palestinian identity through work in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died at the age of 72, his family confirmed.
According to local media reports citing his family, Bakri passed away on Wednesday after battling heart and lung ailments. His cousin, Rafic Bakri, told Arabic news outlet Al-Jarmaq that he was a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, using his artistic work to voice solidarity with his people.
Bakri was most widely recognized for directing the 2003 documentary Jenin, Jenin, which examined an Israeli military operation carried out the previous year in the West Bank city of Jenin during the second Palestinian intifada. The film highlighted the devastation and suffering experienced by Palestinian residents and was subsequently banned in Israel.
As an actor, Bakri appeared in the 2025 film All That’s Left of You, a multigenerational drama tracing the story of a Palestinian family over more than 76 years. He starred alongside his sons, Adam and Saleh Bakri, both established actors. The film was shortlisted by the Academy Awards in the category of best international feature film. Throughout his career, Bakri took part in numerous productions portraying the breadth of Palestinian life and experience.
Besides Arabic-language roles, Bakri also worked extensively in Hebrew theater and cinema. He performed at Israel’s national theater in Tel Aviv and appeared in several prominent Israeli films during the 1980s and 1990s. He studied at Tel Aviv University and held Israeli citizenship, having been born in northern Israel.
Bakri was active in both film and theater, and gained particular acclaim for his 1986 one-man stage production The Pessoptimist, adapted from the writings of Palestinian author Emile Habiby. The performance delved into the emotional and political tensions of living with both Palestinian and Israeli identities.
During the 1980s, Bakri portrayed Palestinian characters in mainstream Israeli films that sought to humanize their experiences, including Beyond the Walls, a landmark film depicting relationships between Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.
Following the release of Jenin, Jenin, Bakri became entangled in nearly two decades of legal battles in Israel, where the film was accused of being biased and inflammatory. In 2022, Israel’s Supreme Court upheld the ban on the documentary, ruling that it defamed Israeli soldiers and ordering Bakri to pay substantial damages to an Israeli military officer.
The controversy surrounding Jenin, Jenin marked a decisive shift in Bakri’s career. He became a divisive figure in Israel and did not return to mainstream Israeli cinema thereafter.
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