A Meaningful Tribute in Cairo
During the 46th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), held from November 12 to 21, 2025, the young Palestinian actor Adam Bakri was honored at a ceremony at the Sofitel Hotel, attended by numerous film professionals and members of the press. Festival president Hussein Fahmy paid tribute to Bakri’s career and international path, recalling the deep ties between the Egyptian and Palestinian peoples and affirming that “the Palestinian is regarded in Egypt as an integral part of the national fabric.”
Visibly moved, Adam Bakri expressed his deep gratitude to the Egyptian public, the festival, and its president. He said that this honor, coming from Egypt—the country whose films he grew up watching—held deep symbolic meaning for him. He added that Hussein Fahmy was among the artists who had accompanied his childhood, and hearing him say, “You are Egyptian,” was an immense form of recognition. He described this distinction as an early but essential milestone in his career, and as an encouragement for what lies ahead.
A Conversation on Art and Memory
A few days earlier, a public talk had been dedicated to him as part of the Cairo Industry Days, moderated by journalist Sherif Nour Eldin, under the title Between Identity and Interpretation: In Conversation with Adam Bakri. The discussion, both intimate and lucid, traced a journey shaped by memory, identity awareness, and a profound belief in art as a form of resistance.
Beginnings Shaped by Lineage and Discipline
Within this journey, Adam Bakri’s filmography holds a central place. Revealed through Omar (2013) by Hany Abu-Assad, he went on to star in Ali and Nino (2016), Slam (2018), Official Secrets (2019) alongside Keira Knightley, If You See Something (2024), and All That’s Left of You (2025) by Cherien Dabis. He also appeared in the Arabic series Bab Al-Jaheem (Hell’s Gate, 2021), marking his return to the Arab world. These works, among the most significant of his career, add to other international films and series that have established his presence within both Arab and global cinema.
Cairo: Between Cinema and Reality
Visiting Egypt for the first time, Bakri told the audience about his emotion in discovering a city he had long known through film. “It’s my first time in Cairo, and the city is exactly as I imagined. I grew up with Egyptian films, and arriving here felt like being inside one of them. It’s been only two days since I arrived, and I already want to visit everything—the pyramids, the museums…”
A Birth Marked by Palestinian Memory
The actor, whose career now bridges the Arab world and the United States, spoke of his intimate bond with his people’s history. “I was born on May 15, the day of the Nakba. A strange coincidence, maybe—but I don’t believe in coincidences. Being born that day reminds me, with every decision I make, where I come from. Some might call it nahss—bad luck—but not for me. On the contrary, it’s a responsibility.”
Between Haifa and New York: The Making of an Actor
Born in Haifa, he grew up in a family of artists. His father, filmmaker and actor Mohammad Bakri, is one of the leading figures of engaged Palestinian cinema, and his brothers, Saleh and Ziad, are also actors. “I was raised with my father’s films, his plays, his stories. But when you grow up in a family where someone has already achieved great things, it becomes difficult to reach that same level.”
After Haifa, Bakri moved to New York to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. “It was a very rich and very difficult experience—but also a beautiful one.” The only Arab—and especially the only Palestinian—at his school, he worked tirelessly: “I had to work harder than everyone else to be accepted. I didn’t even know what it meant to go to a party. My mother’s voice was always with me, a constant presence.” From those years, he carries a simple lesson: “When you’re passionate, you forget the hardships.”
A Discipline Inherited from His Father
His learning was shaped by a decisive moment. “The first time I went on stage, I couldn’t finish the performance. My father was in the audience—I could only see him. I panicked, left the stage, and cried.” That evening, Mohammad Bakri sat on his bed and told him, “If you really want to act, you’ll get back on stage tomorrow. Otherwise, you’re going back to Palestine.” A harsh but formative sentence that defined the rigor he would carry into his career.
The Shock and the Light of Omar
Bakri’s first film role also became his breakthrough. Omar (2013), directed by Hany Abu-Assad, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. It later received the Tanit d’Or at the 2014 Carthage Film Festival, toured major festivals worldwide, and was nominated for an Oscar. “I was young and a little lost,” he said. “That film drained me, and I still don’t know why. My dream came true too fast, before I was ready. After Omar, I went through a depression—it took me time to find the light again.” Some scenes, he added, “embodied the suffering of my people” and changed his approach to acting.
Rejecting the Supremacy of Whiteness
After Omar, he signed with a well-known Hollywood agent—but their visions quickly diverged. “She considered Arab projects unimportant and wanted me to work only in Western productions. She even wanted to make me look less Arab. It was a form of white supremacy.” This collaboration distanced him from the Arab film world for a time, until his father offered him a role in a regional project. “That’s when I ended things with her.”
A Return to the Arab World
With the Lebanese series Bab Al-Jaheem (Hell’s Gate, 2021), Bakri fully reconnected with Arab cinema. “It was a challenging project, full of action and drama.” During the shoot, he met Lebanese actress Cynthia Samuel, who later became his wife. Since then, he has shared his life between New York and Dubai. “These past two years, I’ve met many interesting people and reconnected with the Arab world I had left behind.” This renewed connection led him to join a new Egyptian series, set to air during Ramadan: “I can’t say more for now, but it’s an important project for me.”
Egyptian Cinema as a Foundation
Asked about Egyptian cinema, Bakri brightened. “I grew up watching the golden age films, mostly in black and white. At one point, I watched only Egyptian cinema, before any other Arab films.” He mentioned The Blazing Sky (Seraa’ Fel Wadi, 1954) by Youssef Chahine and A Man in Our House (Fi Baytena Ragol, 1961) by Henry Barakat, and spoke with admiration of Omar Sharif: “He brought a new way of acting to Egyptian cinema. I grew up dreaming of being like him, and I’m sure he influenced my decision to become an actor.”
Asserting Artistic Integrity
Among his international experiences, he discussed Official Secrets (2019), alongside Keira Knightley. The role earned him a nomination at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards for “Best Screen Couple.” “Keira is a huge star,” he said. “She was part of my teenage dreams. Working with an artist of her caliber makes you better.” The experience, he added, “taught me valuable lessons about professionalism and helped me define the kind of roles I want to pursue.”
Asked how he avoids stereotypical roles often assigned to Arab actors, he answered: “You just have to refuse to play terrorists. I turned down many such roles, and eventually they stopped sending them to me. To them, Arabs are either terrorists or victims. But you can’t play well a role you don’t believe in, and I don’t want to help spread a negative image of Arabs.” He continued, “I was privileged—I could say no. I didn’t have financial constraints. And after Omar, I had a responsibility: I couldn’t play a terrorist after portraying a freedom fighter.”
Palestinian Cinema Against All Barriers
In 2024, he shot If You See Something, a film he considers essential: “It’s the story of an Iraqi man trying to live normally in the United States, to love a woman—but the system doesn’t allow him to, because he’s not white.”
With All That’s Left of You (2025), directed by Cherien Dabis, Bakri signs one of his most personal projects. The film, chosen to represent Jordan at the 2026 Oscars, tells the story of a Palestinian family across three generations, from 1948 to the present day. “For the first time, I acted alongside my father and my brother,” he said. Bakri is also a co-producer on the film. “It’s both a personal and artistic milestone.” The shoot was supposed to take place in Palestine, but October 7, 2023, changed everything. “I had arrived on October 6 to start filming in Haifa. The next day, everything turned upside down. The foreign crew panicked and left. We ended up finishing in Cyprus and Greece.”
Bakri acknowledged that filming in Palestine is becoming increasingly difficult. “It’s not only about safety—it’s about permits. Some places are inaccessible, some visas impossible to obtain. Still, I believe we must keep filming there.” For him, Palestinian cinema must remain a testimony: “A good film is a realistic one. Some directors romanticize reality, others don’t. I admire those who stay faithful to what they see—like Michel Khalifeh.”
October 7 and a New Global Awareness
For Bakri, that moment was a turning point. “October 7 put the Palestinian cause on the international stage. I’d take the subway in New York and see young white Americans wearing keffiyehs and reading books about Palestine. I don’t think there will be any going back.” He added, “We must free ourselves from the colonization they’ve built inside us for so many years.”
A Multifaceted Artist
His commitment also takes shape through his ongoing work. Omar will soon be screened in New York at an event for Gaza. “The world is finally ready to listen. People will see this film differently.”
Beyond cinema, Adam Bakri cultivates other forms of expression. “I hope to hold an exhibition one day—I love painting,” he said. He shares his artwork on a page called Hay, named after a character who appeared to him in a dream. “Five years later, during a difficult period, I remembered him. Hay became a figure I keep developing.”
He also writes and reads extensively, including poetry, and attaches great importance to culture: “A person must read. If you don’t read, you die. You need to know other people’s experiences—it enriches you.” Long fascinated by essays, he recently turned to fiction after discovering novelist Maruani: “He opened my eyes to the importance of the inner world and imagination. That helps me a lot as an artist.”
Even chess, which he practices as an amateur, feeds this inner discipline: “My father and brothers are very good, I’m still a beginner. But the game teaches patience and another way of thinking.”
When Sherif Nour Eldin asked him what “home” means to him, he answered without hesitation: “My home is people, not a place. It’s where my loved ones are—my friends, the people I care about.”
To Keep Dreaming
Poet as much as actor, Bakri embraces his share of dreamer. “Today my dreams are clearer. Every decision I make, I weigh more carefully.” Speaking of his aspirations, he said: “There are many. On a general level, I hope Gaza will rise again, that Arabs will do better. On a personal level, I hope to keep achieving things that matter.”
He concluded with calm conviction: “Life without dreams is harder. Having clear goals allows you to make conscious choices.”
Listening to Adam Bakri, one understands that cinema is not only an art but also a quiet form of resistance—a language through which to exist differently. Behind each role, he seeks less to represent a people than to restore a human face. And perhaps this is the true strength of Arab cinema today: its ability to invite the world to finally look, without turning away.
Neïla Driss
