The Middle East Film Festival
Top Actors
Just a list of the actors who have appeared in three or more of the films on my list, ranked according to the number of appearances, not according to any favouritism! If I’ve missed someone, please let me know :~) It’s in the nature of things, as discussed elsewhere, that Palestinian actors constitute a relatively small pool, and that is the reason why the top end of the list is dominated by them. The same actors tend to turn up again and again, sometimes as the Arab characters (in major or “token” roles) in Israeli films, as well as in the relatively small number of Palestinian films which manage to get made in the face of all the obvious difficulties. Quite remarkably, one of the Palestinian actors, Yussuf Abu Warda (the father of Layla in Habibi) plays a Haredi rabbi in Amos Gitai’s Kadosh. That’s some kind of range!
As things stand, Saleh Bakri gets the honour of being classified as the most prolific Arab/Palestinian actor and most prolific overall. That’s him on the left of the picture, appearing in The Band’s Visit, alongside two others on this list, Ronit Elkabetz and Sasson Gabai.
Lior Ashkenazi is the most prolific Israeli-Jewish actor on the list. I’m clarifying that distinction, because like all the other Palestinian actors on the list (I think), Bakri is also an Israeli citizen. The last I checked, anyway - times are crazy, and things can change.
(Update - Saleh Bakri’s position of dominance has seen itself challenged by Ali Suliman, who kind of crept up on the inside. Let’s see how that goes, as I keep discovering films to add to the list. However, if you add Saleh to his father Mohammad - also on the list - plus his two brothers, who are also actors and one of whom appears in at least one film on this list, the Bakri family wins the competition hands down)
Ali Suliman
علي سليمان
- The Syrian Bride
- Paradise Now
- Lemon Tree
- Pomegranates and Myrrh
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul
- The Attack
- A Borrowed Identity
- It Must Be Heaven
- 200 Metres
- Farha
- Amira
- Huda's Salon
Saleh Bakri
صلح بكري
- The Band's Visit
- Salt of this Sea
- The Time That Remains
- When I Saw You
- Giraffada
- Wajib
- Bomboné
- The Present
- Amira
- Costa Brava, Lebanon
- The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan)
Hiam Abbass
هيام عباس
- The Syrian Bride
- Paradise Now
- Free Zone
- Disengagement
- Lemon Tree
- Pomegranates and Myrrh
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul
- Rock the Casbah
- Insyriated
Lior Ashkenazi
ליאור אשכנזי
- Late Marriage
- Walk on Water
- The Bubble
- Footnote
- Yossi
- Big Bad Wolves
- Norman
- Foxtrot
- Golda
Settar Tanrıöğen
- The Bandit
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God
- Destiny
- Vavien
- Shadows and Faces
- Majority
- Die Fremde, AKA When We Leave
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul
Başak Köklükaya
- Hamam (Il Bagno Turco)
- The Third Page
- Harem Suare
- The Confession
- Magic Carpet Ride
- The Little Apocalypse
- Milk
Yussuf Abu-Warda
يوسف أبو وردة
- Wedding in Galilee
- Kadosh
- Kedma
- Promised Land
- Disengagement
- Habibi
- 3000 Nights
Maisa Abd Elhadi
ميساء عبد الهادي
- Habibi
- Eyes of a Thief
- 3000 Nights
- Junction 48
- Tel Aviv on Fire
- Huda's Salon
Lubna Azabal
لبنى أزابال
- Paradise Now
- Incendies
- Rock the Casbah
- Tel Aviv on Fire
- The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan)
- Amal
Makram Khoury
مكرم خوري
- Wedding in Galilee
- The Syrian Bride
- Free Zone
- Lemon Tree
- Farewell Baghdad
- Wajib
Feridun Koç
- Block C
- The Third Page
- Fate
- Uzak
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God
Ronit Elkabetz
רונית אלקבץ
- Late Marriage
- To Take a Wife
- The Band's Visit
- Shiv'a
- Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Orly Silbersatz Banai
אורלי זילברשץ
- The Song of the Siren
- Saint Clara
- Broken Wings
- Intimate Grammar
- Yossi
Taner Birsel
- Run for Money
- The Confession
- Times and Winds
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
- Ember
Erkan Can
- On Board
- Istanbul Tales
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God
- The Edge of Heaven, AKA Auf der anderen Seite
- Destiny
Güven Kıraç
- Innocence
- On Board
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand
- Istanbul Tales
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God
Menashe Noy
מנשה נוי
- Saint Clara
- The Time That Remains
- Policeman
- Big Bad Wolves
- Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Engin Günaydın
- Fate
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God
- Vavien
- Inside
Nejat İşler
- Istanbul Tales
- Egg
- The Edge of Heaven, AKA Auf der anderen Seite
- Winter Sleep
Ercan Kesal
- Uzak
- Three Monkeys
- Vavien
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
Serkan Keskin
- Autumn
- Vavien
- Hunting Season
- The Wild Pear Tree
Serdar Orçin
- The Third Page
- Fate
- The Waiting Room
- Watchtower
Sibel Kekilli
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand
- Home Coming
- Die Fremde, AKA When We Leave
Serra Yılmaz
- Harem Suare
- Vavien
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul
Haluk Bilginer
- Innocence
- Harem Suare
- Winter Sleep
Kadir Çermik
- Watchtower
- Sarmaşık
- The Wild Pear Tree
Şener Şen
- Muhsin Bey
- The Bandit
- Hunting Season
