The Middle East Film Festival
Top Actors
The following is a list of the actors who have appeared in three or more of the films on my catalogues. The actors are ranked according to number of appearances, large or small, leading or cameo, and not according to any favouritism on my part. I might at some point add actors who give stand-out performances in just the one film and who I haven’t seen in anything else, but for the time being I set three films as a basic hurdle for blog recognition. Since the project started out with me watching primarily Israeli and Palestinian films, with some other Arab input, the list was initially dominated by actors from those domains, but of course since I added a ton of Turkish and Iranian films that’s changed substantially. A lot of Iranian films very deliberately use amateur actors, which means that the number of professionals that I’ve got here appearing in three or more movies remains limited compared to the very large number of Turkish actors that you see.
It’s in the nature of things, as discussed in this early post, 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!
For the first year or so, Saleh Bakri had 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. Over time, however, Ali Suliman (also Palestinian) crept up on Bakri, and finally overtook Bakri for overall leader of this list, for what little that title is worth. Still, if you add Saleh Bakri 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 rather meaningless competition hands down.
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 and Suliman are also Israeli citizens. The last I checked, anyway - times are crazy, and things can change, I suppose.
Ali Suliman
علي سليمان
- The Syrian Bride (2004)
- Paradise Now (2005)
- Lemon Tree (2008)
- Pomegranates and Myrrh (2008)
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2010)
- The Attack (2012)
- A Borrowed Identity (2014)
- It Must Be Heaven (2019)
- 200 Metres (2020)
- Amira (2021)
- Farha (2021)
- Huda's Salon (2021)
Saleh Bakri
صلح بكري
- The Band's Visit (2007)
- Salt of this Sea (2008)
- The Time That Remains (2009)
- When I Saw You (2012)
- Giraffada (2013)
- Bomboné (2017)
- Wajib (2017)
- The Present (2020)
- Amira (2021)
- Costa Brava, Lebanon (2021)
- The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan) (2022)
Hiam Abbass
هيام عباس
- The Syrian Bride (2004)
- Free Zone (2005)
- Paradise Now (2005)
- Disengagement (2007)
- Lemon Tree (2008)
- Pomegranates and Myrrh (2008)
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2010)
- Rock the Casbah (2013)
- Insyriated (2017)
Lior Ashkenazi
ליאור אשכנזי
- Late Marriage (2001)
- Walk on Water (2004)
- The Bubble (2006)
- Footnote (2011)
- Yossi (2011)
- Big Bad Wolves (2013)
- Norman (2016)
- Foxtrot (2017)
- Golda (2023)
Taraneh Alidoosti
ترانه عليدوستی
- Beautiful City (2004)
- Fireworks Wednesday (2006)
- About Elly (2009)
- Doubt (2009)
- Modest Reception (2012)
- The Salesman (2016)
- Leila's Brothers (2022)
- Subtraction (2022)
Başak Köklükaya
- Hamam (Il Bagno Turco) (1997)
- Harem Suare (1999)
- The Third Page (1999)
- The Confession (2001)
- Magic Carpet Ride (2005)
- The Little Apocalypse (2006)
- Milk (2008)
- Something Useful (2017)
Settar Tanrıöğen
- The Bandit (1996)
- Destiny (2006)
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God (2006)
- Vavien (2009)
- Die Fremde, AKA When We Leave (2010)
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2010)
- Majority (2010)
- Shadows and Faces (2010)
Yussuf Abu-Warda
يوسف أبو وردة
- Wedding in Galilee (1987)
- Kadosh (1999)
- Kedma (2002)
- Promised Land (2004)
- Disengagement (2007)
- Habibi (2011)
- 3000 Nights (2015)
Feridun Koç
- Block C (1994)
- The Third Page (1999)
- Fate (2001)
- Uzak (2002)
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand (2004)
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God (2006)
- Inside (2012)
Tarik Kopty
- The Band's Visit (2007)
- Lemon Tree (2008)
- The Time That Remains (2009)
- Bethlehem (2013)
- Omar (2013)
- Junction 48 (2017)
- Wajib (2017)
Qais Nashef
قيس ناشف
- Paradise Now (2005)
- Habibi (2011)
- Big Bad Wolves (2013)
- Tel Aviv on Fire (2018)
- Limbo (2020)
- Abu Omar (2021)
- Amira (2021)
Maisa Abd Elhadi
ميساء عبد الهادي
- Habibi (2011)
- Eyes of a Thief (2014)
- 3000 Nights (2015)
- Junction 48 (2017)
- Tel Aviv on Fire (2018)
- Huda's Salon (2021)
Lubna Azabal
لبنى أزابال
- Paradise Now (2005)
- Incendies (2010)
- Rock the Casbah (2013)
- Tel Aviv on Fire (2018)
- The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan) (2022)
- Amal (2023)
Orly Silbersatz Banai
אורלי זילברשץ
- The Song of the Siren (1994)
- Saint Clara (1996)
- Broken Wings (2002)
- Intimate Grammar (2010)
- Yossi (2011)
- Honeymood (2020)
Taner Birsel
- Run for Money (1999)
- The Confession (2001)
- Times and Winds (2006)
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)
- Ember (2016)
- Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017)
Erkan Can
- On Board (1998)
- Istanbul Tales (2005)
- Destiny (2006)
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God (2006)
- The Edge of Heaven, AKA Auf der anderen Seite (2007)
- Majority (2010)
Ercan Kesal
- Uzak (2002)
- Three Monkeys (2008)
- Vavien (2009)
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)
- Mold (2012)
- Nausea (2015)
Makram Khoury
مكرم خوري
- Wedding in Galilee (1987)
- The Syrian Bride (2004)
- Free Zone (2005)
- Lemon Tree (2008)
- Farewell Baghdad (2013)
- Wajib (2017)
Payman Maadi
پیمان معادی
- About Elly (2009)
- A Separation (2011)
- Melbourne (2014)
- Life and a Day (2016)
- Leila's Brothers (2022)
- Opponent (2023)
Yael Abecassis
יעל אבקסיס
- Kadosh (1999)
- Live and Become (2005)
- Shiv'a (2008)
- Hunting Elephants (2013)
- A Borrowed Identity (2014)
Ronit Elkabetz
רונית אלקבץ
- Late Marriage (2001)
- To Take a Wife (2004)
- The Band's Visit (2007)
- Shiv'a (2008)
- Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)
Nadine Labaki
نادين لبكي
- Caramel (2007)
- Where Do We Go Now? (2011)
- Rock the Casbah (2013)
- Capernaum (2018)
- Costa Brava, Lebanon (2021)
Ashraf Barhom
أشرف برهوم
- The Syrian Bride (2004)
- Paradise Now (2005)
- Lebanon (2009)
- Farha (2021)
- The Stranger (2021)
Ufuk Bayraktar
- The Waiting Room (2003)
- Climates (2006)
- Destiny (2006)
- Egg (2007)
- Die Fremde, AKA When We Leave (2010)
Serkan Keskin
- Autumn (2008)
- Vavien (2009)
- Hunting Season (2010)
- Inside (2012)
- The Wild Pear Tree (2018)
Güven Kıraç
- Innocence (1997)
- On Board (1998)
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand (2004)
- Istanbul Tales (2005)
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God (2006)
Ohad Knoller
אוהד קנולר
- Yossi & Jagger (2002)
- The Bubble (2006)
- Beaufort (2007)
- Yossi (2011)
- Golda (2023)
Yigal Naor
יגאל נאור
- Saint Clara (1996)
- The Infidel (2009)
- Farewell Baghdad (2013)
- The Women's Balcony (2016)
- Maktub (2017)
Menashe Noy
מנשה נוי
- Saint Clara (1996)
- The Time That Remains (2009)
- Policeman (2011)
- Big Bad Wolves (2013)
- Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)
Serdar Orçin
- The Third Page (1999)
- Fate (2001)
- The Waiting Room (2003)
- Envy (2009)
- Watchtower (2012)
Golshifteh Farahani
گلشیفته فراهانی
- Half Moon (2006)
- About Elly (2009)
- My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
- Reading Lolita in Tehran (2023)
Uri Gavriel
אורי גבריאל
- The Syrian Bride (2004)
- The Band's Visit (2007)
- The Attack (2012)
- Farewell Baghdad (2013)
Engin Günaydın
- Fate (2001)
- Takva - A Man's Fear of God (2006)
- Vavien (2009)
- Inside (2012)
Mani Haghighi
لیلا حاتمی
- About Elly (2009)
- Modest Reception (2012)
- Melbourne (2014)
- A Dragon Arrives! (2016)
Hussein Hassan Ali
(Hiseyn Hesen)
حوسێن حەسەن
- Crossing The Dust (2006)
- Memories On Stone (2014)
- The Exam (2021)
- Baghdad Messi (2023)
Nejat İşler
- Istanbul Tales (2005)
- Egg (2007)
- The Edge of Heaven, AKA Auf der anderen Seite (2007)
- Winter Sleep (2014)
Tuncel Kurtiz
- Hope (1970)
- The Herd (1978)
- Somersault in a Coffin (1996)
- The Edge of Heaven, AKA Auf der anderen Seite (2007)
Michael Moshonov
پیمان معادی
- Lebanon (2009)
- Policeman (2011)
- A Borrowed Identity (2014)
- Junction 48 (2017)
Çetin Tekindor
- Istanbul Tales (2005)
- My Father and My Son (2005)
- Hunting Season (2010)
- Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017)
Hasibe Eren
- Istanbul Tales (2005)
- My Father and My Son (2005)
- Envy (2009)
Binnur Kaya
- My Father and My Son (2005)
- The Little Apocalypse (2006)
- Vavien (2009)
Sibel Kekilli
- Head-On, AKA Gegen die Wand (2004)
- Home Coming (2006)
- Die Fremde, AKA When We Leave (2010)
Nergis Öztürk
- Envy (2009)
- Toll Booth (2010)
- Inside (2012)
Şerif Sezer
- Yol (1982)
- Hamam (Il Bagno Turco) (1997)
- My Father and My Son (2005)
Serra Yılmaz
- Harem Suare (1999)
- Vavien (2009)
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2010)
Haluk Bilginer
- Innocence (1997)
- Harem Suare (1999)
- Winter Sleep (2014)
Kadir Çermik
- Watchtower (2012)
- Sarmaşık (2015)
- The Wild Pear Tree (2018)
Yılmaz Erdoğan
- Magic Carpet Ride (2005)
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)
- Rhino Season (2012)
Sasson Gabai
ששון גבאי
- The Band's Visit (2007)
- Hunting Elephants (2013)
- Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)
Tamer Levent
- Beyond the Hill (2012)
- Winter Sleep (2014)
- The Wild Pear Tree (2018)
Şener Şen
- Muhsin Bey (1987)
- The Bandit (1996)
- Hunting Season (2010)
Ahmet Rıfat Şungar
- Three Monkeys (2008)
- Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2010)
- The Wild Pear Tree (2018)
Yousef Sweid
يوسف سويد
יוסף "ג'ו" סוויד
- Walk on Water (2004)
- The Bubble (2006)
- Tel Aviv on Fire (2018)
