Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri dies at 72

Celebrated director of ‘Jenin, Jenin’ documentary leaves behind legacy of artistic resistance.Published On 25 Dec 2025Acclaimed Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri has died in northern Israel, ending a five-decade career that established him as one of the most influential voices in Palestinian cinema.Bakri died on Wednesday at Galilee Medical Centre in Nahariya after suffering from heart and lung problems, hospital officials said.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Israel says member of Iran’s IRGC among several killed in Lebanon strikeslist 2 of 2Pope Leo laments suffering of Gaza Palestinians in first Christmas sermonend of listHis passing removes a towering figure whose work directly challenged Israeli narratives and whose decades-long legal battles over censorship became a defining chapter in Palestinian cultural resistance.The 72-year-old was best known for his 2002 documentary, Jenin, Jenin, which captured testimonies from Palestinian residents following a devastating Israeli military operation in the refugee camp that killed 52 Palestinians.The film ignited years of controversy in Israel but elevated Bakri’s status as a creative and would overshadow the remainder of his life.Israeli authorities banned the documentary from screening in 2021, with the Supreme Court upholding the prohibition in 2022, deeming it defamatory.“I intend to appeal the verdict because it is unfair, it is neutering my truth,” Bakri told the Walla News website at the time.Five soldiers sued Bakri, and courts eventually fined him hundreds of thousands of shekels while ordering all copies seized and online links removed.In an interview with the British Film Institute earlier this year, Bakri said, “I don’t see Israel as my enemy … but they consider me their enemy. They see me as a traitor … for making a movie.”