Hiam Abbass
Encyclopedia
Hiam Abbass also known as Hiam Abbas or Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian
actress and an Arab citizen of Israel. She is known for her roles in the films Satin Rouge (2002), Haifa
(1996), Paradise Now
(2005), The Syrian Bride
(2004), Free Zone
(2005), Dawn of the World
(2008), The Visitor
(2008), Lemon Tree
(2008), and Amreeka
(2009). She had a small role in Steven Spielberg
's Munich
, a film depicting the response to the Munich Massacre
, where she also served as a dialect and acting consultant.
She directed two short films, Le Pain (2001), and La Danse éternelle (2004). She portrays humanitarian Hind al-Husseini
in Julian Schnabel
's film Miral
(2010), based on the life of Husseini and her orphanage.
village by the Lebanese border. She became famous in the international film scene through the film Satin Rouge (2002), by Raja Amari, a film about the self-discovery of a middle aged Tunisian widow with her own desires and sexuality. She also played a similar role in The Syrian Bride, about a caged Druze
woman eager to break down all sorts of barriers.
Abbass is also able to speak English fluently as well as French, starring in French films such as "Le sac de farine" and "Le temps de la balle".
In 2008, she played the mother of an illegal Syrian immigrant son in Thomas McCarthy's
movie The Visitor
, and the mother of an Iraqi soldier in Abbas Fahdel
's film Dawn of the World
.
Also in 2008, she played the principal role in Israeli director Eran Riklis
's film Lemon Tree
(Etz Limon in Hebrew), a film about a Palestinian woman's stubborn and quietly heroic battle to defend her lemon orchard, threatened by the arrival of her new neighbor, the Israeli Minister of Defense. For this role, she won Best Performance by an Actress at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards
. In Jim Jarmusch
's 2009 film The Limits of Control
, in the role of Driver, she recites in Classical Arabic
one of the film's leitmotif
-phrases, "He who thinks he is bigger than the rest must go to the cemetery. There he will see what life really is."
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
actress and an Arab citizen of Israel. She is known for her roles in the films Satin Rouge (2002), Haifa
Haifa (film)
Haifa is a 1996 Palestinian drama film directed by Rashid Masharawi. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Mohammed Bakri - Haifa* Ahmad Abu Sal'oum - Abu Said* Hiam Abbass - Oum Said...
(1996), Paradise Now
Paradise Now
Paradise Now is a 2005 film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category....
(2005), The Syrian Bride
The Syrian Bride
The Syrian Bride is a 2004 film directed by Eran Riklis. The story deals with a Druze wedding and the troubles the politically unresolved situation creates for the personal lives of the people in and from the village...
(2004), Free Zone
Free Zone (film)
Free Zone is a 2005 film directed by Amos Gitai. Shot in Israel and Jordan, the Israel-Belgium-French-Spain production stars Israeli Jewish actress Hanna Laslo, Palestinian Arab actress Hiam Abbass, and Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman....
(2005), Dawn of the World
Dawn of the World
Dawn of the World is a feature film written and directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.Starring Venice Film Festival revelation Hafsia Herzi and Hiam Abbass , Dawn of the World gives an unexpected account of the multiple impacts of the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and the 1991...
(2008), The Visitor
The Visitor (2008 film)
The Visitor is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy and produced by Michael London and Mary Jane Skalski. Executive producers were Jeff Skoll and Omar Amanat...
(2008), Lemon Tree
Lemon Tree (film)
Lemon Tree is a 2008 Israeli drama movie directed by Eran Riklis and codirected by his cousin Ira Riklis. It stars Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Danny Leshman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty, Amos Lavi, Lana Zreik and Amnon Wolf...
(2008), and Amreeka
Amreeka
Amreeka is a 2009 American/Canadian/Kuwaiti independent film written and directed by first-time director Cherien Dabis. It stars Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Joseph Ziegler, and Miriam Smith....
(2009). She had a small role in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
, a film depicting the response to the Munich Massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
, where she also served as a dialect and acting consultant.
She directed two short films, Le Pain (2001), and La Danse éternelle (2004). She portrays humanitarian Hind al-Husseini
Hind al-Husseini
Hind al-Husseini was a Palestinian woman notable for rescuing 55 orphaned survivors of the Deir Yassin massacre, after they were dropped off in Jerusalem and left to fend for themselves...
in Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker. In the 1980s, Schnabel received international media attention for his "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates....
's film Miral
Miral
Miral is a 2010 biographical political film directed by Julian Schnabel. The screenplay was written by Rula Jebreal, based on her novel. The film was released on 3 September at the 2010 Venice Film Festival and on 15 September 2010 in France. The film was set for release on 3 December 2010 in the...
(2010), based on the life of Husseini and her orphanage.
Life and career
Abbass was born in Nazareth, Israel and was raised in a traditional MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
village by the Lebanese border. She became famous in the international film scene through the film Satin Rouge (2002), by Raja Amari, a film about the self-discovery of a middle aged Tunisian widow with her own desires and sexuality. She also played a similar role in The Syrian Bride, about a caged Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
woman eager to break down all sorts of barriers.
Abbass is also able to speak English fluently as well as French, starring in French films such as "Le sac de farine" and "Le temps de la balle".
In 2008, she played the mother of an illegal Syrian immigrant son in Thomas McCarthy's
Thomas McCarthy (actor)
Thomas Joseph McCarthy is an American actor, writer, and film director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows such as The Wire, Boston Public, Law & Order, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Saint Maybe...
movie The Visitor
The Visitor (2008 film)
The Visitor is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy and produced by Michael London and Mary Jane Skalski. Executive producers were Jeff Skoll and Omar Amanat...
, and the mother of an Iraqi soldier in Abbas Fahdel
Abbas Fahdel
Abbas Fahdel is an Iraqi-French film director, screenwriter and film critic, born in Babylon, Iraq.Based in France since the age of 18 years, he studied cinema at the Sorbonne University until Ph.D....
's film Dawn of the World
Dawn of the World
Dawn of the World is a feature film written and directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.Starring Venice Film Festival revelation Hafsia Herzi and Hiam Abbass , Dawn of the World gives an unexpected account of the multiple impacts of the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and the 1991...
.
Also in 2008, she played the principal role in Israeli director Eran Riklis
Eran Riklis
Eran Riklis is an Israeli filmmaker. His films include Cup Final , The Syrian Bride , and Lemon Tree . He was born in 1954 and he studied at the National Film and Television School in England. He is married to Dina Riklis and they have two children, a daughter, Tammy, and a son, Jonathan...
's film Lemon Tree
Lemon Tree (film)
Lemon Tree is a 2008 Israeli drama movie directed by Eran Riklis and codirected by his cousin Ira Riklis. It stars Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Danny Leshman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty, Amos Lavi, Lana Zreik and Amnon Wolf...
(Etz Limon in Hebrew), a film about a Palestinian woman's stubborn and quietly heroic battle to defend her lemon orchard, threatened by the arrival of her new neighbor, the Israeli Minister of Defense. For this role, she won Best Performance by an Actress at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to...
. In Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
's 2009 film The Limits of Control
The Limits of Control
-Cultural references mentioned in the dialogue:* Suspicion by Alfred Hitchcock* Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky* The Lady from Shanghai by Orson Welles* La Vie de Bohème by Aki Kaurismäki* La vida no vale nada by Rogelio A...
, in the role of Driver, she recites in Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic , also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad and Abbasid times . It is based on the Medieval dialects of Arab tribes...
one of the film's leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
-phrases, "He who thinks he is bigger than the rest must go to the cemetery. There he will see what life really is."