HANY ABU-ASSAD

' Hany Abu-Assad' (b. 11 October 1961) ( is a Dutch-Palestinian film director. His film ''Paradise Now'', about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.

Contents

Early life

Film career

Filmography

Further reading

External links

Early life

Abu-Assad was born in Nazareth in 1961 and emigrated to the Netherlands in 1980. After having studied technical engineering in Delft he worked as an airplane engineer in the Netherlands for several years. He was hired having an Israeli passport, but when he appeared to be an Arab Israeli and not Jewish, he was fired, allegedly for that reason. Israel has thousands of Arab citizens. Abu-Assad entered the world of cinema and television as a producer. He formed Ayloul Film Productions in 1990.

Film career

In 1998 he directed his first film, ''Het 14de kippetje'' (''The Fourteenth Chick''), from a script by writer Arnon Grunberg. Later films are the short ''Nazareth 2000'' (2000) and ''Rana's Wedding'' (2002). His documentary film ''Ford Transit'' (situated in Israel/Palestine) was stopped from showing by Dutch television (VPRO) when it appeared to be a scripted film, including a Palestinian actor playing a brutal Israeli soldier. It caused much debate in the Netherlands.
In 2006 his film ''Paradise Now'' won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign language film, and it received an Oscar-nomination in the same category. In 2005 ''Paradise Now'' won the Golden Calf for best Dutch film.
Abu-Assad is currently filming a movie entitled ''L.A. Cairo'' with DViant Films Inc.

Filmography

★ ''Rana's Wedding'' (2002)

★ ''Paradise Now'' (2005)

★ ''L.A. Cairo'' (2007) (announced)

Further reading

★ The Humanist in Hany Abu-Assad, , Alexander, Provan, SOMA Magazine,

External links

★

★ "It was a joke I was even nominated" ''The Guardian''

★ "I risked my life to make this movie" ''The Telegraph''

★ "Ticket to Paradise?" ''Christianity Today''

★ Hany Abu Assad's Profile