Mohammad Bakri:

           Stranger in a Familiar Land

                              by Shelley Kleiman

Mohammad Bakri hates airports. He hates presenting his passport (which is Israeli), waiting on line for customs clearances, and what this star of Israeli stage and screen despises most of all is the very concept of borders separating people.

A bit of a contradiction for a man proud of his dual identity - both as an Israeli citizen and as a Palestinian nationalist. Then again, for over 20 years, Bakri has been balancing two oft-opposing worlds, always maintaining his artistic integrity. It has not been an easy act for this talented and rather elusive character.

Bakri says he prefers not to mix art and politics - "art is much more honest" - though he admits he doesn't always have a choice. He is somewhat annoyed that he has been typecast, by the Israeli film industry into always playing the role of a Palestinian fighter. "I don't even look the part," says Bakri as he points to his dark-eyed, mustached colleagues around the room.

At 43, with his piercing blue eyes and high cheekbones, Bakri has become something of a national heartthrob. He has the face of a hit man and jilted lover rolled into one. His rugged, weatherworn looks seem just as appropriate for a Ralph Lauren menswear ad as for a Shakespearean tragedy.

Bakri will only act in a film if he supports its message. The theme of shared humanity, of a common bond between Jew and Arab, Israeli and Palestinian, run through most of Bakri's films. "We must live together," says this very polite man, "we have no other choice."

One of 12 children and himself the father of five, Bakri was raised in Bima, a village of 5,000 near Karmiel in the central Galilee, where his family has lived for over four generations. He studied acting at Tel Aviv University and has been acting in Hebrew since 1976. He identifies strongly with his cultural roots, and while he calls himself a "Palestinian" actor(he continues to act in Arabic), Bakri says if a Palestinian state is established, he would remain in Israel, "which is my home."

Although Bakri strongly supports cultural harmony, he has been left at times feeling much the outsider. "Both sides eye me with suspicion," says Bakri, admitting that this cultural doubleness adds a depth to his performances. "It drives me to perfection."

From Panim: Faces of Culture in Israel

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