The Palestinian film world is in shock after the sudden death of actor and director Mohammad Bakri, whose decades-long career defied censorship, controversy, and borders.
The Homeland star — and creator of the banned documentary Jenin, Jenin — died just weeks before his final film could score an Oscar nomination.
According to reports from the Associated Press and local outlet Al-Jarmaq, Bakri passed away on December 24 in a hospital in Nahariya, reportedly after suffering serious heart and lung complications.
His death came only weeks before the Academy’s January 22 nominations, where his final performance in All That’s Left of You — Jordan’s official submission for Best International Feature — is still in the running.
Bakri, who starred as Afghanistan’s vice president opposite Claire Danes in Homeland’s explosive final season, was never afraid of controversy. His 2003 documentary Jenin, Jenin — a raw account of the destruction in the West Bank — was banned in Israel, and in 2022, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered him to pay damages after ruling the film defamed a military officer.
Despite the backlash, the film became a rallying cry for Palestinian filmmakers and activists around the world.
Beyond his defiant filmmaking, Bakri’s acting career stretched across Hollywood and the global stage — from Boy From Heaven and The Cup Final to HBO’s The Night Of and American Assassin with Michael Keaton.
In his homeland, Bakri was revered not just as an artist but as a voice of resistance. His one-man stage show, Bakri’s Monologue, adapted from Emile Habibi’s The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist, tackled the painful duality of living between Israeli and Palestinian identities — and became one of his most defining works.
Following his death, Bakri’s cousin Rafic paid tribute to his legacy, calling him a man who “will remain in the memory of Palestinian people everywhere and all people of the free world.”
His passing marks the end of an era — and the beginning of what could be one final triumph. If All That’s Left of Yousecures an Oscar nomination next month, Bakri’s fight to give voice to the silenced may echo louder than ever.
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