Biography
Hany Abu Assad is a Palestinian film director, writer, and producer born in Nazareth, Palestine in 1961.
He broke into the filmmaking industry after working for several years as a flight engineer in the Netherlands. In 1994, he produced the feature film CURFEW which was directed by Rashid Masharawi.
Since then, Abu Assad has written, directed, and produced several award-winning films, which include NAZARETH 2000, RANA’S WEDDING, FORD TRANSIT, PARADISE NOW, THE COURIER, OMAR, and THE IDOL.
He is also a member at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.
His award-winning films PARADISE NOW and OMAR were nominated for the Oscars for Best International Feature Film.
PARADISE NOW garnered him a Golden Globe, setting a historical precedent in Palestinian cinema. Moreover, his film OMAR was featured at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.
In 2017, Abu-Assad directed THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, which opened the 39th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).
HUDA’S SALON is his latest feature film starring Ali Suliman, Manal Awad, and Maisa Abd Elhadi, received the Special Jury Prize (Mohammed Al-Rakab Award) at the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival, as well as a Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival, a Best Actress Award for Maisa Abd Elhadi at Arab Cinema Center (ACC)’s Critics Awards for Arab Films, and a Dutch Movies Matter Award at the 14th Movies That Matter Festival.
Moreover, HUDA’S SALON had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Platform Prize Award, gaining critics’ admiration and receiving positive feedback in the industry.
The film was also nominated for the Best Feature Film award at the Red Sea International Film Festival, and Hany Abu Assad was also nominated for Best Director at The Critics Awards for Arab Films.
His latest work is the short film KAZOZ, which he co-directed with Amira Diab within Netflix’s short film series LOVE, LIFE & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
Hany was also honored in a moving feature as a tribute for his unwavering commitment to making films that highlight the Palestinian struggle ahead of the 34th Carthage Film Festival, which was canceled due to the unprecedented Israeli aggression on Palestine after the events of October 7th, 2023.
