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- Actress
- Producer
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Sarah Shahi was born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi in Euless, Texas, to an Iranian father and Spanish-Iranian mother. She is a former NFL cheerleader and a descendant of a 19th-century Persian Shah. She attended Trinity High School and Southern Methodist University, studied opera and majored in English. As a teenager, she won several beauty contests and took first place in the Miss Fort Worth USA pageant in 1997. She joined the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and was part of the 1999-2000 squad. She also appeared on the cover of their 2000 calendar.
While working as an extra on the set of Dr. T & the Women (2000), she met director Robert Altman, who encouraged her to move to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actress. Shahi was the first ghost in Supernatural (2005), the CW paranormal drama series. She had recurring roles in several TV series, such as Alias (2001), in which she played "Jenny"; and Dawson's Creek (1998), where she was "Sadia Shaw". She became a fan favorite in her role as the Mexican-American DJ "Carmen de la Pica Morales" in the Showtime series, The L Word (2004), which she joined in its second season. Sarah did not renew her contract with the show for a fourth season and, consequently, her character was written out.
However, she is best-known for her main role as "Sameen Shaw" on the CBS show Person of Interest (2011) playing a CIA agent turned-vigilante with a heart of gold.
She also appeared on HBO's The Sopranos (1999), in the episode Kennedy and Heidi (2007) as "Sonya Aragon", a stripper and a college student who spends a weekend with Tony after a death in his family. Although uncredited by most sources, Sarah also appeared in the Jackie Chan film, Rush Hour 3 (2007), as one of the girls being handcuffed along with Mia Tyler for a traffic offense by Chris Tucker early in the film. She also starred with Damian Lewis in the NBC show, Life (2007).
Sarah speaks English, Farsi, and some Spanish, and has a brown belt in karate.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model. She was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Poland, Austria, Germany, and Czechoslovakia who Hebraized their name from 'Greenstein' to sound less European). She served in the IDF for two years, and won the Miss Israel title in 2004.
Gal began modeling in the late 2000s, and made her film debut in the fourth film of the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast & Furious (2009), where she appeared as Gisele Yashar; she repriced the role of Yashar in several subsequent installments of The Fast Saga. Gadot went on to achieve global stardom for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, including in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Wonder Woman (2017) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). She has since starred in the Netflix action-comedy film Red Notice (2021) and the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022).
Gal is a motorcycle enthusiast, and owns a black 2006 Ducati Monster-S2R. She has been married to Yaron Versano since September 28, 2008. They have three daughters.- Actress
- Producer
Shiva Negar is a Canadian Actress, Model, and Producer, who rose to prominence starring as Annika Ogden in CBS Films/Lionsgate Blockbuster Movie "American Assassin" and made the short list of Variety Magazine's "10 Canadians to watch".
Shiva can be seen on numerous Films and Network Television shows. Some of her latest credits include "The Cleaning Lady" on FOX and the CBS Military Drama "Seal Team".
Coming from a diverse background, born in Iran, raised in Turkey and Canada, Shiva began her career in music. She was a child performer in piano and guitar recitals and singing competitions, followed by theater and live performances throughout her adolescence. Performing Arts was always Shiva's passion and she had to overcome many obstacles and cultural traditions in order to follow her dreams and pursue her acting career. She also managed to graduate from York University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Postgraduate degree in Events Management & Marketing.
Dedicated to using her work in performing arts as a medium to tell impactful stories, to inspire, support and empower women all over the world, Shiva hopes to spread more awareness about pressing issues surrounding modern culture and society.
Shiva Negar is one of the faces of the EDA (Ethnically Diverse Artists). She is a contributor and a child sponsor for the non-profit organization Mother Miracle, educating and feeding the impoverished children. She's also a Humanitarian and a Women's rights advocate.- Sara Loren was born on 11 December 1985 in Kuwait. She is an actress, known for Makan Aka Home a Heaven (2006), Kajraare (2010) and Sultanat (2014).
- Shermine Sharivar was born on 17 September 1982 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei (1996), Traveling Light (2021) and Die Verräter (2023).
- Arwa Gouda is an Egyptian Actress, who speaks fluent English, French and Arabic. She started her career as a Model at the age of 13 and won the "Best Model of the World" 2004/2005 title in Turkey which finally launched her acting career. Soon after, the Nefertiti looking Arwa Gouda became a popular actress known for her vast range of characters, her gravity and most of all her genuine performance and was finally able to break out of being typecast as a beautiful young damsel when she played the role of a heroine addict in director Amr Salama's first big screen movie "Zay El Naharda" (On a Day Like Today), which then landed her in getting harder and more challenging roles such as "Safeya" in director Sherif Arafa's movie "El Gezira 2" (The Island 2).
- Actress
- Born to a Montenegrin mother, Tara Emad is an Egyptian actress with charming and distinguished Eastern-European features who started her career as a model, eventually becoming one of the most sought-after faces in commercials and fashion shows in Egypt and France.
The ever-radiant, striking, and accomplished actress starred in several hit TV series and films throughout her illustrious career, including, Adel Emam's TV series SAHEB EL SAA'DA (HIS EXCELLENCY) (2014).
Her other notable works include the dramas BEN AL SARAYAT and SABAA BANAT, and the widely-popular film EL-HARAM EL-RABE by Peter Mimi.
Afterward, she starred alongside Mohamed Adel Emam in the TV series LAM'IE EL OTT, which premiered in Ramadan 2017. Emad doesn't settle for roles that don't show off the breadth of her acting skills, making her earnestly selective when it comes to the projects she works on.
In 2018, she decided to give more attention to cinema, so she took part in Marwan Hamed's DIAMOND DUST, which brought in EGP 30m and came in second place at the Egyptian box office during the 2017 Eid Al-Adha season.
She also took part in EL KWAYSEEN by Ahmed El-Guindi, which earned more than EGP 20m.
She collaborated once more in 2019 with Hamed in THE BLUE ELEPHANT: DARK WHISPERS - one of the highest-grossing Egyptian films in the history of Egyptian cinema, generating over EGP 102m - in which she performed a complex range of body movements that she has never displayed in any of her previous roles.
Following that, she took part in the thriller film 122 by Yasir Al-Yasiri, starred alongside Ahmed Ezz as Jasmine in the musical comedy play ALADDIN, and participated in the short film Tamer Shabaan's SAMT (PAUSE) alongside Mona Hala. The short film was eventually screened at the Austin Film Festival.
In the Ramadan 2020 season, she co-starred with Yasmine Abdel-Aziz in the TV series W NEHEB TANY LEH, and in the following season, she starred in two serial dramas - MOUSA opposite Egyptian star Mohamed Ramadan and DED EL KASR (UNBREAKABLE) with Nelly Karim.
She also took part in ads for ZED Park and the 500500 Hospital Campaign.
Additionally, she participated in the Ramadan Gucci Show alongside a cast of pan-Arab superstars, including Saba Mubarak and Aseel Omran. The show was inspired by the classic soap operas of the 1980s and was written by Tamer Habib and launched in collaboration between Gucci and Mille.
The video brought together 10 actresses from five Arab countries including Tara, Youssra, Hend Sabri, Shereen Reda, Saba Mubarak, Nour, Huda El-Mufti, Fatima Al-Banawi, Mayan El-Sayed, Sarrah Abdelrahman, and TV presenter Raya Abirached. Furthermore, Emad graced the cover of many top-notch magazines, including Haya magazine - where she was styled by Gucci - Vogue Arabia, Marie Claire Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Sayidaty, and Jamalouki.
In 2014, She appeared on the cover of Elle Arabia's November issue, and Laha Magazine's August issue in collaboration with the prestigious Italian fashion house Fendi.
In 2021, she collaborated with Vogue Arabia, modeling the Miss Dior fragrance in their September issue and Harper's Bazaar. Her work in 2021 included SITTAT BAIT AL MAADI (WOMEN'S MAADI HOUSE) alongside Kinda Alloush, Injy El-Mokkaddem, and Sabry Fawaz. The series - which is now available on Shahid - is the Arabic version of the successful American series WHY WOMEN KILL.
As for 2022, she worked on WATCH IT's original series TAHQEEQ (INVESTIGATION) alongside Ahmed Malek and Huda El-Mufti, as well as the Arabic version of smash-hit US drama SUITS starring Asser Yassin, Ahmed Dawood, and Saba Mubarak, which was launched during the Ramadan season.
Also, in the same year, Tara shared the stage with Ahmed Ezz in Mohamed Mohamady's play HADI VALENTINE, which was performed during the Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia.
Her most recent work was El MATAREED with Ahmed Hatem and AKHI FAWK EL SHAGARA with Ramez Galal, and she made a guest appearance in the 15-episode TV series MYSTERY BOX, which was aired during the Ramadan 2023 season on Shahid.
As for her upcoming projects, Tara is currently working on BEIT EL RUBY with Karim Abdel Aziz. She's also involved in several projects coming up in the pipeline, including El-Sobky's YEHIA with Ahmed Hatem once again, EL GAWAHERGY alongside star Mohamed Henedy and Mona Zaki.
Not content with limiting herself to one field, Tara is also an accomplished brand ambassador and has represented several famous brands over the years, including Bvlgari, Channel, Michael Oro Jewellery, and Yves Saint Laurent. Emad teamed up with the celebrated Azza Fahmy Jewelry trademark to be their brand ambassador for the new 2021 summer collection - El-Nur - as well.
The stunning actress was also selected by Cartier to serve as its brand ambassador in the Middle East since 2022, making her the only Egyptian celebrity representing the brand currently. Moreover, she participated in Cartier's Panthère de Cartier show in Dubai and the jewelry giant's 2023 Ramadan campaign.
Moreover, Tara is Chanel Beauty's first Middle Eastern brand ambassador and starred in their first AD campaign in the Middle East in 2022.
Most recently, Vanity Fair named Tara Emad one of the six most influential women in the Middle East during a gala dinner hosted by the Red Sea International Film Festival at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Given her accomplishments, Tara has become a regular at major international film festivals like the Cannes International Film Festival and Red Sea International Film Festival, even getting selected as a jury member at the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival that was held by the IOM and the UN. - Actress
- Soundtrack
- Yara Naoum is known for Hena maysara (2007) and Miss Universe Pageant (2008).
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Natalie Portman is the first person born in the 1980s to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress (for Black Swan (2010)).
Natalie was born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel. She is the only child of Avner Hershlag, an Israeli-born doctor, and Shelley Stevens, an American-born artist (from Cincinnati, Ohio), who also acts as Natalie's agent. Her parents are both of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Natalie's family left Israel for Washington, D.C., when she was still very young. After a few more moves, her family finally settled in New York, where she still lives to this day. She graduated with honors, and her academic achievements allowed her to attend Harvard University. She was discovered by an agent in a pizza parlor at the age of 11. She was pushed towards a career in modeling but she decided that she would rather pursue a career in acting. She was featured in many live performances, but she made her powerful film debut in the movie Léon: The Professional (1994) (aka "Léon"). Following this role Natalie won roles in such films as Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), and Mars Attacks! (1996).
It was not until 1999 that Natalie received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated US$431 million-grossing prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). She then she starred in two critically acclaimed comedy dramas, Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000), followed by Closer (2004), for which she received an Oscar nomination. She reprised her role as Padme Amidala in the last two episodes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). She received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Black Swan (2010).
She received a second nomination for Best Actress, for playing Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie (2016).- Shaila Sabt is known for Gilgamesh Pearl (2011), Khamis wa Jumah: Huroob Ijbari (2017) and The Masked Singer - Inta Min (2020).
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Andrea Demetriades (born 1987) is an Australian actress known for her television, theatre and film roles.
Demetriades was born in Perth, the youngest of four sisters. Her father, Costas, emigrated from Cyprus in 1969 and met her mother, Athena. Athena was born in Perth but her father was from Andros, Greece. Athena is an artist and Costas became a Greek language teacher and a translator, helping people with legal matters and translating in hospitals and welfare departments.
Demetriades studied Dance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and Communications and Cultural Studies at Curtin University. She graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting) degree in 2006.
Demetriades is best known for her role as Lina Badir in the television series Crownies. She reprized the role for the spin-off series Janet King in 2014 and 2016. Her television guest roles include All Saints as Felicity Summers in 2009, Mr & Mrs Murder as Lola and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries as Beatrice in 2013. Demetriades appeared in the critically acclaimed 2015 Australian drama series The Principal as Hafa Habeb. In 2017 she starred in both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV series Seven Types of Ambiguity, and Pulse as Doctor Lou Tannis. In 2018 she also starred in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV series Squinters.
Demetriades has featured in the films Nerve and Around The Block. Her theatre roles include Bell Shakespeare's Pericles, for which she was nominated for a 2009 Green Room Award and she toured Australia in Bell Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in 2010. She starred as Eliza Doolittle in Sydney Theatre Company's 2012 production of Pygmalion.
Demetriades is one of the main protagonists in the 2015 film Alex & Eve about dating between a Greek (Alex, played by Richard Brancatisano) and a Muslim Lebanese (Eve, played by Demetriades).- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Multilingual actress Daphne Alexander was born in Cyprus and trained at Oxford University and LAMDA. She came to prominence playing nurse Nadia Talianos on the BBC's long running medical drama "Casualty". After this she has worked internationally, playing roles in Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer", Osunsanmi's "The Fourth Kind" and HBO's "House of Saddam". More recently she took on the roles of Catherine Horton in "Smyrna" and Aliki in "Minore". She played leading roles in award-winning films "The Palace" and "The Siege on Liperti Street".
She has played Modesty Blaise for BBC Radio 4, and has worked onstage in London and New York.
Daphne loves languages and speaks native English and Greek, fluent French as well as conversational German and Levantine Arabic. She divides her time between London, Athens and Los Angeles. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Eleftheria Eleftheriou (born 12 May 1989) is a Greek Cypriot singer and actress. She came to prominence through her participation in the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor. Shortly after her elimination, Sony Music Greece signed her and submitted her as a candidate to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. She was later disqualified from the national final, following the leak of her song onto the web by an unknown party.
Eleftheriou had previously participated in the Cypriot national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Play That Melody To Me" featuring Maria Zorli, finishing seventh in the final. Eleftheriou represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, with the song "Aphrodisiac", where she placed 17th (9th on the televoting).- Elena Pieridou (Ellen Pierre) is a Greek actress. She was born and raised in Cyprus. At the age of 18 she moved to London. In 2012 she graduated from Laine Theatre Arts with a Diploma in Acting and Musical Theatre. She is best known for Ta Pente Kleidia (2016), To Tatouaz (2017), Asteria stin Ammo (2019), and Who Killed my Brother (2021). She had her first leading role in Glykanisos (2022). Elena is based in Athens, Greece.
- Yosra El-Lozy is a multi-talented Egyptian artist who has run the performance gamut, working as a ballerina, pianist, and voice actor before settling into acting as a profession.
She started her cinematic journey in 2004 with renowned international director Youssef Chahine, starring in his film ALEXANDRIA... NEW YORK. Since then, she has emerged as the leading actress in numerous projects helmed by several esteemed directors, effortlessly straddling the worlds of film and drama as she weaves a tapestry of mesmerizing performances.
Hailing from an artistic family, with her father working as a theatrical director, actor, and distinguished professor of theater at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and her mother having an established name in the puppet theater and voice acting industries - even working for Disney at some point - it is no surprise that El-Lozy eventually followed in her parents' footsteps.
She started off her career when she was a high school student, initially cutting her teeth by working as a voice actor on several animated Disney films before expanding her skillset once she got into the AUC - where she pursued a bachelor of arts in political science and then supplemented it with a master's degree in public and international law - appearing in a variety of musical roles at the university's theater; most notably, SULEIMAN AL-HALABI, THE READER, GUYS AND DOLLS, and THE CONFUSED SULTAN.
Eventually, El-Lozy made her dazzling debut on the silver screen, mesmerizing audiences with her portrayal of the spirited teenage Ginger in Youssef Chahine's masterpiece ALEXANDRIA... NEW YORK in 2004, which was featured at the esteemed Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard that very same year.
Continuing to leave an indelible mark, she also starred in David Cronenberg's TO EACH HIS OWN CINEMA, sharing the screen with American actor Josh Brolin and the iconic Brigitte Bardot.
Naturally, it was only a matter of time before El-Lozy would reap the rewards of her blossoming career, eventually earning a plethora of local and international accolades for her compelling performances in cinema. Her first recognition came with Khaled El-Hagar's remarkable film STOLEN KISSES in 2008, for which she garnered Best Actress at the Alexandria International Film Festival.
She followed that up with Osama Fawzy's BEL ALWAN ELTABEAYA in 2009 - a cinematic gem that earned her a special certificate of appreciation from the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival. After that, she was featured in Ahmed Abdallah's HELIOPOLIS (2010), which reaped several prestigious awards. Her illustrious filmography also includes Ahmed Abdullah's MICROPHONE - which went on to win the prestigious Golden Tanit Award at the Carthage International Film Festival - and Ahmed Samir Farag's LOVE STATION, in which he co-starred alongside Menna Shalaby. Additionally, she showcased her talent in Othman Abu Laban's EL-MARKEB and the short film THE STORY OF THE REVOLUTION.
El-Lozy's cinematic life then took a crucial turn in 2012 when she found herself involved in three diverse and compelling productions; the first of which she co-starred alongside her father, Mahmoud El-Lozy, in the short film LIKE IN A MIRROR.
The second was the comedy film BANAT EL AM, in which she reunited with director Wael Ehsan and starred alongside the talented trio Chico, Ahmed Fahmy, and Hisham Maged. She also embarked on her first collaboration with director Sameh Abdel-Aziz in the star-studded cast film HOUR AND A HALF.
In the following year, she continued to captivate audiences with her performance in the film I NEED A MAN by the renowned Mohamed Shaker Khudair.
In addition to her accomplishments on the big screen, El-Lozy has had an equally successful career on TV, debuting in the highly successful drama KHAS GEDAN, where she shared the screen with legendary actress Yousra.
Following this auspicious start, she went on to participate in the first part of the renowned AL-GAMA'A series, which was a collaboration between the late esteemed writer Waheed Hamed and the distinguished director Mohamed Yasine. In the same year, she also played a role in the second part of the TV series LAHAZAT HAREGA.
Then, in 2012, she worked on three compelling dramas; the first was VERTIGO - a series featuring Hend Sabry and written by Ahmed Mourad that marked a new collaboration between El-Lozy and Abu Laban - the third season of LAHAZAT HAREGA, and RED LINES alongside Ahmed El-Sakka.
A couple of years later, in 2014, El-Lozy landed the lead role in the TV series ADAM AND JAMILA opposite the talented Hassan El-Raddad, marking her third collaboration with director Ahmed Samir Farag and further solidifying her presence as an accomplished actress in the realm of TV drama.
In the same year, she embarked on her first leading role in a Gulf cinematic production, starring in the Emirati film FROM A TO B alongside a slew of esteemed Arab stars such as Palestinian actor Ali Suleiman, Syrian actor Samer Al-Masry, Saudi actor Fahd Albutairi, and Lebanese actor Fady Al-Refai, and worked alongside esteemed actor Yahya Al-Fakharani under the direction of his son, Shadi Al-Fakharani, in the Ramadan drama DAHSHA.
After that, El-Lozy starred in the Lebanese drama CELLO with Syrian star Taim Hassan and Lebanese stars Nadine Nassim Najeeb and Youssef El-Khal.
She then proceeded to have an eventful 2016, working on her first collaboration with director Peter Mimi and the talented Ahmed Hatem in the highly acclaimed film THE FOURTH PYRAMID, featuring in Wael Ehsan's HASSAN WA BO'LOZ, and starring in the comedic series BANAT KHARQAT during the Ramadan season of the same year alongside Riham Haggag, Sherry Adel, and Bayoumi Fouad.
Since then, Yosra's career has been making consistent appearances across many films and dramas, including NO TRESPASSING OR CAMERAS ALLOWED, where she shared the screen with the esteemed Yousra; AKHLAQ EL-ABID alongside the talented Khaled Al-Sawy; FAIN QALBI opposite the renowned Mustafa Amar, HAMZA'S SUITCASE and TAQAT ALQADR alongside the charismatic Hamada Helal; and AL-HALAL opposite Sumaya Al-Khashab.
She also worked on the TV drama BEL HAGM EL A'ELI with the esteemed Yahya Al-Fakharani; the second season of THE HAJJ NOHMAN FAMILY with Syrian star Taim Hassan; Peter Mimi's KALBASH 3, featuring the talented Amir Karara; QAMAR HADI with Hani Salama; and TAQAT HOB alongside Ahmed Hatem.
In 2021, Yosra returned to the silver screen with her role in the movie THE COURT - a cinematic gem directed by Mohamed Amin and written by Ahmed Abdullah. She also starred in the female-led series ELLA ANA's story of BEL WARAQA WEL QALAM and the 15-episode adapted TV series BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH.
Building on that momentum, El-Lozy graced the screen in 2022 with her breathtaking performance in Ahmed Nader Jalal's thriller THE SPIDER alongside Ahmed El-Sakka, Mona Zaki and Dhaffer L'Abidine.
As for her most recent work, in the year 2023, El-Lozy took part in two highly anticipated series during the Ramadan marathon, putting on a stellar performance in the third season of the immensely popular AL-MADAH with the charismatic Hamada Helal, and Sameh Abdel-Aziz's GAMILA alongside the talented Riham Haggag.
She was also featured in GROUP EL MOMMIES, where she shared the screen with super-star Ruby, Mohamed Tharwat, Mahmoud Hafez, and Dareen Haddad.
In addition to her diverse talents in singing, ballet, and voice acting, El-Lozy has also made notable contributions to the television industry, showcasing her hosting skills in several successful TV programs, starting with the worldwide singing sensation THE X FACTOR in 2013, followed by a stint on MBC's MICROPHONE in 2015.
Aside from her work in the fields of art and cinema, El-Lozy also has a track record for humanitarian work, consistently raising awareness about the risks of hearing impairment in children and the challenges they face in learning to speak at a young age, launching a campaign with the aim of providing treatment and support to thousands of children afflicted by the same condition.
In recognition of her remarkable artistic accomplishments and humanitarian efforts, she was eventually honored with the Al-Ahram Newspaper Award in 2017 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the world of drama and her commendable endeavors to provide hard-of-hearing children with the support and resources they need to thrive. - Her career began to work as an advertising girl , and then began to do some small roles in the television serials after the year of 1996 till 2000, when assigned to her the role in the movie "Short and T-Shirt and Cap".While her small roles she was taught in (The Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts) that she graduated from it after that.The beginning of her fame was in the series "Welad El-Akaber" in 2003 with the actor "Hussein Fahmy", and then followed by many successful works, which include the series (I and Those) and (Saraya Abdeen), and the movie (Tabakh El- Rais) in 2008.
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- Animation Department
Dorra Zarrouk was born on 13 January 1980 in Tunisia. She is an actress and writer, known for Zombie Goes Zombie, Al Me'adeya (2013) and Hadid (2014).- Gehan Rateb Started Her Career as A TV. Host, at Arab Radio & Television A.R.T., Then Converted to Acting & and performed Leading & Supportive Roles Starting with the Big Screen T.V. & Theater. She Performed in more than 20 Projects, Featured Films, T.V. Episodes, Sitcoms, Theater, and Also Radio episodes.
As for her Musical Career. Gehan Established her own recording company and published two Music Albums, Malak 2008 & Ediny Forsa 2010, Presented Three Music Video.
Gehan composed three of her songs & wrote the lyrics for one of her songs. & also was interested enough in music arranging that she published some of her music exclusively on her website. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Haifa Wehbe was born on 10 March 1976 in Mahrouna, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Bahr al nojoum (2008), Dokkan Shehata (2009) and Renegades of Europe (2022). She was previously married to Ahmad Abu Husheima.- Actress
One of Egypt's most talented actresses. With her expressive brown eyes, lustrous dark hair and flawless olive skin, the ballet dancer, and actress burst onto the scene in 1991, making her mark on the Egyptian Actresses list and audiences as well.
She co-stars with Nadia El Gendyand Mahmoud Hemida in Wild Desire (1992). One of Egypt's foremost leading ladies of the 1990s, Hanan has managed to make her mark on Arabic audiences as well. Born in (Cairo) on 7th of March 1976, Hanan was one of three children, Hanan, Hussein and Hossam of a Father who owns a Factory for Women's wear (El Torki for Dresses). After years of intensive study in ballet, she broke into acting in 1991. In 1992, she had starring roles in Al-mohager (1994), for famous director Youssef Chahine. In 1998, she had the starring role as well in The Other (1999), two very disparate films. Hanan proved to be a huge success. Success gave Hanan a dose of Arab recognition, and, after starring in a number of Egyptian films, she enhanced this recognition in the year 2000 with the entry to TV series Opera Ayda (2000)
That same year, she had a brief but memorable role in breakthrough film Al assifa (2000).- Actress
- Stunts
- Editorial Department
Nadin Rizk is an Egyptian-Canadian Actress. She was born in Cairo, Egypt and immigrated to Canada with her family at the age of 4.
As a multi-talented performer who also holds a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto, she is quickly becoming known for her versatility as a filmmaker, and her ability to bring a unique depth and breadth of personal experiences into her work.
As an actress she is best known for playing Yarah Ahmed on the first season of the Canadian prime-time TV legal drama, "Diggstown."
Her body of work includes major television productions including Fox's "Accused," feature films including "Making Scents of Love" and "Samanthology," and lead roles in award-winning short films including "Salmon Pink," "Lemons," and "Fog Light."
In 2024 she can be seen starring in Reem Morsi's feature film, 'Banned."- Actress
With a smile that melts hearts and looks that catch all eyes, Lebanese actress Nour made quite an impression on audiences from her first roles in Egyptian films, TV series, and plays.
Her beauty might be one of the elements that initially put her in the limelight, however, it's her talent that kept her shining in the film industry for over 20 years. Presenting striking performances in comedy, drama, or thrillers, Nour has no doubt proven to be quite a skillful actress.
Nour is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Beirut. While studying, she started modeling in TV commercials. She first visited Egypt to audition for Chipsy Egypt's new TV commercial with Egyptian actor Hesham Selim and director Sherif Arafa. Soon after, Nour was chosen by director Saeed Hamed to star opposite Egyptian star Ahmed El Sakka in the blockbuster SHORT W FANELAH W CAP (2000).
The film was a massive success, with Nour leaving a good impression on audiences, who named her 'The Lebanese Nour.' In the following years, Nour starred in several romantic hits like IZZAY TEKHALI EL-BANAT TEHIBBAK film (2003), director Kamla Abu Zekri's first film SANA OULA NASB (2004), SAYED EL ATIFI (2005) - in which she starred opposite Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny in his first leading role - and then TISBAH ALA KHAIR (2017).
Refraining from the typecast of the sweet, nice girl, Nour took part in many drama films, including ASHAB WALA BUSINESS (2001), in which she played the role of a young TV director whose passion for the Palestinian Intifada leads her to risk her own life. In 2007, she starred in two other drama films - NUQTAT ROJOO and KASHF HESAB, the first feature film by director Amir Ramsis. Two years later she starred in the psychological drama film MEKANO (2009) by director Mahmoud Kamel, alongside actors Taim Hasan and Khaled El-Sawy, and in 2016 she starred in the drama-thriller MEN TALATEEN SANA by director Amr Arafa.
Nour also showed audiences her funny side in the comedies OKAL (2004) alongside Egyptian actor Mohammed Saad, along with ZARF TAREK (2006) and MATAB SENA'Y (2006) with Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy.
With more talent to flaunt, Nour surprised audiences by playing complex villain characters with Ahmed Ezz in Sandra Nashaat's blockbusters MALLAKI ISKANDARIYA (2005) and AL RAHINA (2006), playing the role of an international terrorist in the latter.
Her small-screen repertoire includes many TV hits, such as AL-AMEEL 1001 (2005) with Mostafa Shaban, DOMOA AL QAMAR (2008) with Riyad Al-Kholi and Rania Farid Shawky, seasons one and two of SARAYA ABDEEN (2014-2015) - which featured a star-studded cast from Egypt and the Arab world - and EL-EXCELLANCE (2014), where she reunited with Ahmed Ezz.
In 2018, she took part in the Ramadan hit series RAHIM with Yasser Galal, for which she received the Best Actress Award at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival.
Nour also took part in the play TEHEB TESHOUF MA'SAH in 2002 and starred in radio series, including GHARAM ALA EL INSTAGRAM (2015) with Ahmed Ezz.
In Ramadan 2020, Nour starred in the TV series EL PRINCE opposite Mohamed Ramadan. Written and directed by Mohamed Samy, the TV drama received massive success among audiences and critics alike. In the same year, she also starred in the TV drama GAMAL EL HAREEM by director Manal El-Seify alongside Khaled Selim.
In 2021, Nour reunited with Egyptian star Yasser Galal in the TV series DEL RAGEL (MAN'S SHADOW). She was also featured in the TV prank show KHAMAS NAGOUM (Five Stars), which brought together Ghada Adel, Mostafa Amar, Karim Fahmy, and Mohamed Al-Sharnuby as TV show presenters for the first time.
Nour was also featured in the music video MET'ALA BEEKY which was released during the closing ceremony of the fifth El-Gouna Film Festival. Alongside her, the video starred 10 actresses from five Arab countries - Yousra, Hend Sabri, Shereen Reda, Saba Mubarak, Tara Emad, Huda El-Mufti, Fatima Al-Banawi, Mayan El-Sayed, Sarrah Abdelrahman, and TV presenter Raya Abirached.
In Ramadan 2022, Nour starred in the series RAGEEN YA HAWA alongside Egyptian star Khaled El-Nabaw under the direction of Mohamed Salama and based on a story by the late renowned writer Osama Anwar Okasha, featuring a screenplay adapted by Mohamed Soliman Abdel-Malek.
Furthermore, Nour joined the cast of seasons two and three of the TV series MAWDOO AAELY (Family Matter) starring Maged El-Kedwany, Shereen Reda, Mohamed Shahin, Enass Kamel, and Rana Raeis. The TV series, which is directed by Ahmed El-Gendy, is now available on Shahid VIP.
Also, in 2022, Nour co-starred with comedy actor Mohamed Henedy in NABIL EL GAMEEL PLASTIC SURGEON, which is directed by Khaled Marei.
Nour was part of the Best Arab Film Award's Jury in the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival.
In 2023, Nour was featured as a guest of honor in EL KEBEER AWI season seven aired during the 2023 Ramadan season. Her most recent work is Beit El Ruby with Kareem abdel aziz which topped the box office with more than 70 million EGP revenue.- Ola Ghanem, born in Kwait, raised in Alexandria, Egypt. She married to Walid Eldefrawy and gave birth to two beautiful girls, Kamilia and Farida, after she got a divorce from Walid, she moved to Cairo to start her acting career. As soon as she started studied acting, she started getting jobs; one of her first projects ever was a video clip with Mohamed Foad, Hansak. That video helped her get noticed and she started doing more projects. Her first movie was Mohamy Khol3 with Hani ramzy and Dalia el Behery, at the same time she was filming Sahar el Layaly with Ahmed Helmy, and Mona Zaky. She took the Best Actress award.
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Randa Al Behery was born on 18 August 1983 in Cairo, Egypt. She is an actress, known for Saboba (2012), Bedoon Reqaba (2009) and Ayshin el-Lahzah (2010).- Actress
Rubi started her career as a model by coincidence when Murielle Romanoff, Polish singer spotted her in front of the AUC. He found in her the tipical Arab beauty he was looking for. He chose her to to do the video clip for his song "Don't make me cry". Rubi did commercials for Sparkle, Alo and others. She worked with famous master film director Youssef Chahine in Silence... We're Rolling (2001), where she played the role of a romantic wealthy girl, who happens to fall in love with her driver, whilst her mother falls in love with a young man who is after her money. Her favorite actors are Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama, Soad Hosny and Hind Rostom.- Actress
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Her career began early in 2000 with the song "Ah Ya Leil" but they were not the first songs where he appeared with the singer "Mohamed Mohy" in duet titled "You love of eye and the heart" of this before you share with Tamer Hosni, as a representative cinemas with "Ahmed Helmy" it resulted in a film "Mido Mashkel", the Free Music company owner "Nasr Mahrous" first to produce her "Ghairana" Album and after some differences between the two she terminate the contract between them. Shirin was married to composer and distributor "Muhammad Mustafa" and have two daughters "Marem" and "Hana" , but they broke up after the marriage lasted for five years.- Actress
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Nasim Pedrad (born November 18, 1981) is an American actress and comedian best known for her five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975) from 2009 to 2014. She has since gone on to co-star in sitcoms such as Mulaney (2014), Scream Queens (2015), People of Earth (2016), and New Girl (2011).
Pedrad was born in Tehran, Iran, to a Muslim family. Her parents are Arasteh Amani and Parviz Pedrad. Pedrad's family emigrated to the United States in 1984 when she was three years old. Her younger sister is comedy writer Nina Pedrad. Both sisters are fluent in Persian. The sisters were raised in Irvine, California, and graduated from University High School. Nasim graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2003. She was a member of the UCLA Spring Sing Company.
Pedrad was a performer with the Sunday Company at The Groundlings. She frequently performed her one-woman show Me, Myself & Iran at the Los Angeles divisions of ImprovOlympic and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The show was selected for the 2007 HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. She received an LA Weekly Best Comedic Performance of the Year Award as the lead in the comedic spoof After School Special.
Pedrad made her first television appearance on an episode of Gilmore Girls (2000). In 2007, she made a guest appearance on The Winner (2007). She had a recurring role on ER (1994) as Nurse Suri. In 2009, she had a guest appearance on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005).
Pedrad joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2009 as part of the 35th (2009-2010) season. Pedrad is one of a handful of cast members born outside North America (joining Italian-born Tony Rosato, New Zealand-born Pamela Stephenson, English-born Morwenna Banks, and Chilean-born Horatio Sanz). Pedrad became a repertory player in the 2011-12 season after two years of being a featured player. Pedrad left SNL in 2014 to work on Mulaney.
In 2011, she was a recurring voice on the Fox animated series Allen Gregory (2011). She appeared with a small role in the 2011 film No Strings Attached (2011). In 2012, she had a supporting voice role in the animated feature film The Lorax (2012) and a small appearance in The Dictator (2012). In 2013, Pedrad had another supporting voice role in Despicable Me 2 (2013). In the autumn of 2014, she left Saturday Night Live to star in a new Fox sitcom, Mulaney. On October 18, 2014, Fox shut down production of the series by reducing the 16-episode order by three episodes. Filming for the thirteenth episode had just been completed prior to the order reduction, and the fourteenth episode was about to enter production.
Beginning in 2015, Pedrad has a recurring guest role as LAPD officer Aly Nelson on the Fox sitcom New Girl. She portrayed Gigi Caldwell in season one of Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens.
In 2016, she appeared in a commercial for Old Navy alongside comedian Kumail Nanjiani and other SNL cast members Cecily Strong and Jay Pharoah.
In 2017, she joined the cast of season two of the TBS comedy series People of Earth. Later that same year, she also made guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013).- Actress
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Nazanin Boniadi's film and television credits are a testament to her versatility, spanning a breadth of genres including drama, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy and action. She recently starred as Bronwyn in the first season of Amazon's global hit series adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), she also starred alongside J.K. Simmons in the critically acclaimed Starz series Counterpart (2017), created and produced by Justin Marks. She was the female lead of the Thunder Road / Bleecker Street feature Hotel Mumbai (2018) from director Anthony Maras, in which she starred opposite Dev Patel and was nominated for an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Award (AACTA), as well as had a supporting role in the Jay Roach and Charles Randolph's Roger Ailes film BOMBSHELL for Lionsgate and BRON opposite Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. She also portrayed Ester in the 2016 major motion picture Ben-Hur (2016), and had a supporting role in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008).
Among her many television credits, Boniadi earned an outstanding drama ensemble SAG nomination for her work on Showtime's hit series Homeland (2011) in which she played CIA analyst Fara Sherazi. She portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012).
Born in Tehran in the direct aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research.
Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott.
Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is also a longtime, renowned human rights activist, with a focus on her homeland Iran. Among her numerous recognitions she is the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize laureate. She has served as an ambassador for Amnesty International UK since 2020, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran since 2023. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.- Actress
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Nazanin Nooshin Nour was born in Arlington, VA to Iranian immigrant parents. She is fluent in Farsi, and can read and write in Farsi as well. She graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Government & International Politics, a double major in Communications, and a minor in Media Criticism. She worked in corporate litigation for a few years before leaving her career behind to pursue acting and writing professionally. She had performed in school plays, and local community theater, throughout her childhood, and eventually moved to New York City to pursue a career in entertainment. She got her start on USA's miniseries, Political Animals, and continued on from there to Los Angeles, where she has worked in television and film. She trained in sketch writing, and improv, at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theaters in both New York City and Los Angeles. She has also co-written, and co-starred in, the horror short, All Of You, as well as Bad Status, a comedy about being deported. She was also a judge on the inaugural season of Persia's Got Talent, the Persian language spin-off of the Got Talent franchise.- Mahlagha Jaberi is known for Horme To (2021).
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Sophia Jawad is a middle eastern talented actress. She has been performing for the last 3 years. In September 2012, she is preparing for a new American movie that will be released in 2013 (Mobster:A Call for the New Order" Directed by Nagendra Karri as Saira the undercover agent wife). She has appeared in a few films. In theater, she played Gertrude in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Along with acting, Sophia is listed with numerous modeling agencies and has appeared in a different commercials.- Bahar Soomekh was born on March 30, 1975 in Tehran, Iran, to a Persian Jewish family. She is the daughter of Manijeh and Hamid Soomekh, who owned a women's high fashion company. She has a sister, Saba Soomekh. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1979, to escape the Iranian revolution. She attended a yeshiva, Sinai Akiba Academy, and Beverly Hills High School, where she played the violin in the school orchestra. She majored in environmental studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Soomekh began working at a corporate job, and took acting classes at night, before quitting her job to pursue a full-time acting career.
Bahar began acting at age 27, guest starring in television shows like Without a Trace (2002), 24 (2001), JAG (1995), among others. She got her big break portraying an Iranian-American woman named Dorri, speaking fluent English and Farsi, in the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Crash (2004). The whole cast won the Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. Bahar also appeared in the director's cut version of another Academy Award winning movie, Syriana (2005), playing Yassi. Bahar got some more attention playing Davian's translator in Mission: Impossible III (2006). She had a leading role in the horror film Saw III (2006), playing a victim, Dr. Lynn Denlon. She had also portrayed Margo on the television series Day Break (2006). Recently, Soomekh got one of the lead roles as Hollis on the television series The Oaks (2008), which will come out in the fall of 2008. - Actress
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Carolena Sabah was born on 15 August 1974 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress and producer, known for Alpha Males Experiment (2009), Don't Gag Me (2007) and The Experimental Witch (2009).- Khatereh Asadi is known for Forbidden (2018), Crossroads (2006) and Aida, I Saw Your Dad Last Night (2005).
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Nadia Bjorlin was born the fifth out of six children. Her parents were Ulf Björlin (a Swedish conductor and composer, known to be the world's most active opera composer during the 20th century) and Fary Bjorlin. Her siblings are Katja, Kaj, Kamilla, Ulf Jr and Jean Paul. (Each sibling have a history of artistic or creative work in their background. A very stunning and talented family indeed). Nadia was born in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), but her family soon moved to Sweden. This was only for a few short years before moving back to the USA again.
Nadia worked the opera scene before becoming an actress. It was a fast lane change by a sudden contract with NBC who needed an opera singing girl for a permanent part in a television series. Nadia has since then appeared in both movies and TV series. She has played lead characters in big screen productions and she has been a guest star in shows like CSI, Two an a half men, Two Broke Girls, as well as other comedy shows. Her talent is strong in comedy as well as in drama. She is also quite the dancer, which can be seen in Ricky Martin's music video "Shake Your Bon Bon". She was second runner up placing in Miss Teen Florida. Her voice won a sought after first place in a world proclaimed a opera competition in Italy.
Nadia is fluent in Swedish, English and Farsi. Because of her education in opera, she is schooled in several more languages like Italian and French. Nadia was a child prodigy who excelled in her studies at school as well as voice, theater, dance, and music. She started her professional career at six years old and won several awards while attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
She currently (2014) lives in California. Her school years were mostly in Palm Beach, Florida and New York. Her most beloved father died of leukemia in 1993. This has inspired Nadia to become a spokesperson and represent The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for many years now.- Actress
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Necar Zadegan is a versatile actress known for a career on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut when she originated the role of the Leper in Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer Prize nominated and multi Tony award accoladed play " The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" opposite Robin Williams. She stars as Special Agent Hannah Khoury in the CBS global franchise series, "NCIS: New Orleans" and has joined the cast of the much anticipated and newest installation of the Star Trek franchise, "Picard".
Ms. Zadegan first garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of First Lady turned president Dalia Hassan on Fox's hit series "24", and most recently for her hilarious leading role in the absurdist docu-spoof film for IFC on Netflix called "Documentary: Now" written by Seth Meyers and alongside an all-star cast. The show has been nominated for multiple Emmys and has begun streaming in the UK. For HBO in the drama "Here and Now" from Oscar winning screenwriter, creator Alan Ball, she takes the lead in the delicate portrayal of Layla Shokrani.
In the much beloved Bravo comedy streaming on Netflix, "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce", Ms. Zadegan plays the character written for her by show creator Marti Noxon, of fashionable, high powered attorney and fan favorite, Delia Banai. The show recently began streaming its fifth and final season. The year also saw Ms. Zadegan join the cast of the ABC hit "The Good Doctor". Other series regular roles include her portrayal of Dr. Gina Bandari on "Emily Owens MD" and in the lead opposite Greg Kinnear in the FOX comedy "Rake".
Some highlights from her many other credits include roles for Steven Spielberg company produced series "Extant", opposite Sean Bean in spy series "Legends" and a very memorable turn as the Queen of Iran in Showtime's critical success "Masters of Sex" opposite Michael Sheen, with whom she also starred opposite in the Columbia Tri Star film, psychological thriller "Unthinkable" alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She appeared with Adam Sandler in Judd Apatow's "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" and played the title role in "Elena Undone" which enjoyed success at independent festivals worldwide.
Ms. Zadegan has worked at some of the world's most prestigious theaters including The Mark Taper Forum, the Royal Dramatic Theater of Stockholm, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and many more, and toured internationally in the Persian language production of "Satellite with Love".
Necar Zadegan was born in Heidelberg, Germany and raised in Northern California. She studied theater and dance on a performance scholarship at the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with honors and a BA degree in English Literature. She also studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She speaks Persian, French and German and has learned Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew while working in those languages. She works with USAID in supporting opportunities for education across the globe and is an ambassador for BuildOn.org and travels with them around the world building schools for children.- Actress
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Neda Jebraeili is an iranian actress. She was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She began acting when she was 19. She studied dramatic literature and graduated from University of Tehran, faculty of fine arts on February 2016. She began her professional acting career by appearing in an iranian feature film " ghaedeye tasadof " (the rule of accident, 2013). She is also known for "Mahi va gorbe" (fish and cat,2013), "Yahya sokoot nakard (Yahya din't keep quiet,2015) and "Aram"(2014).- Rome Shadanloo was born In Tehran, Iran and grew up in Los Angeles, California.
She has appeared on several notable shows and the independent instant classic "A Girl Walks Home At Night". In 2017 she moved to Boston to finish her Holistic Psychology Degree. Rome is currently in Los Angeles and specializing in treating PTSD. (2020) - Sadaf Taherian is known for Ice Age (2015), Mesle Yek Khab (2012) and Gharar-e Badi Haman Ja (2014).
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Miss SAYE YABANDEH is an Iranian-born Hollywood actress focused on using her platform to bring awareness to global issues and to give back to refugees and underserved children and families around the world.
Miss Sayé Yabandeh, a humanitarian and award-winning actress of remarkable scope, has joined Virgin Galactic's NEXTGEN astronaut program. As a Goodwill Ambassador for the ENGin program, she dedicates her time to connecting English-speaking volunteers with Ukraine's young generation during their time of need. As a Global Ambassador for the Global Citizen Foundation and her 501(c)3 non-profit organization Sayé org, she champions education, community building, and sustainable development for underprivileged children worldwide. Through her organization, she extends her philanthropic reach to empower impoverished families globally, fostering self-sufficiency rather than dependency. Sir Richard Branson has crowned her a "Woman of the World" as she embodies the essence of a true Global Citizen, transcending borders and embracing the human race with compassion. With a passion for adventure and athleticism rivaling her dedication to helping others, Miss Yabandeh excels as an avid polo player, who has participated in several world snow polo championships and many exhibition, charity-oriented polo matches worldwide, swimmer, yoga enthusiast, and has trained with Navy SEAL Team Six in support of the Department of Defense. Her impressive filmography and nominations for Best LGBT Project and Best Female Filmmaker attest to her artistic prowess. As she embarks on this extraordinary journey, Miss Yabandeh embodies the spirit of the NEXTGEN astronaut, inspiring future generations to boldly explore the unknown.- Shiva Boloorian was born on 5 October 1973 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for Madaram Bash (2007), Tekye Bar Khorshid (2009) and Chehre Dar Ghobar (2006).
- Yekta Naser was born on 3 November 1978 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for Someone Wants to Talk with You (2012), Blue Nissan (2021) and The First Night of Peace (2006).
- A native of Valencia, CA, Nazanin Mandi Pimentel is a natural- Born Performer; Singing at age 5, Modeling at age 10, performing the Mozart Requiem at Carnegie Hall and acting at age 15. Her beginnings in the world of entertainment whispered Greatness from an early age.
Her evolution continues to be televised on hit shows, such as BET's "Twenties", CBS's "The Young and The Restless", Disney's "That's so Raven", E! Channel's "The Platinum Life" & currently a recurring role on BET's "Games People Play". With an inspiring array of print campaigns, that includes Savage x Fenty; Summer and Valentine's Day Campaign, Olay, Missguided, along with numerous editorials, interviews and films - "DreamCatcher" out March 2021 and "The Last Conception" out now on all streaming platforms. Her debut single "Forever Mood" premiered on Billboard in the summer of 2019 & in September 2020 she walked the official Savage X Fenty Show. Now a Certified Life Coach she hopes to bring ordinance and positivity to many for years to come. - Maryam Zakaria is a Swedish-Iranian actress, dancer, and model, born in Tehran, Iran. Raised in Sweden, she initially gained recognition as a dancer, particularly for her expertise in Bollywood and Indian dance styles. Her passion for dance led her to pursue a career in the Indian film industry.
Maryam made her Bollywood debut with a special appearance in the film "Payback" (2010), but it was her role in the hit movie "Agent Vinod" (2012) that brought her widespread attention. She gained further acclaim for her dance performances in popular item songs like "Aa Re Pritam Pyare" from the film "Rowdy Rathore" (2012) and "Dilli Wali Girlfriend" from "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (2013). Her impressive dancing skills and captivating screen presence made her a sought-after talent in the industry.
Apart from her Bollywood ventures, Maryam Zakaria has also worked in the South Indian film industry, featuring in Tamil and Telugu movies. She has showcased her versatility by taking on roles in different genres, demonstrating her acting prowess alongside her dancing talent.
Maryam's career has not been limited to just films; she has also made appearances on various reality shows and has been a part of several stage performances. Her charismatic presence and multicultural background have contributed to her popularity, making her a notable figure in the entertainment industry.
While her career continues to evolve, Maryam Zakaria remains a respected figure in Indian cinema, admired for her contributions to dance and acting. - Born in India, Sahar grew up in Iran and is now a Canadian citizen living in Vancouver, British Columbia.
She is a former beauty pageant contestant who represented Canada and now works as a professional actress in Film and Television.
Sahar has studied at the University of British Columbia, The Actors Foundry & the Lyric school of Acting. - Actress
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Golshifteh started her acting career in theater at the age of 6 and has always kept a strong link with theater, but it was at the age of 14 that she acted in her first film The Pear Tree (1998), for which she won the prize for the Best Actress from the international section of the Fajr film festival, immediately making her one of the stars of Iranian cinema. Since then she has played in more than 15 films, many of which have been screened or awarded at international festivals. Amongst her latest films are Bahman Ghobadi's Half Moon (2006) (winner of the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastián film festival 2006), Dariush Mehrjui's controversial The Music Man (2007), still banned in Iran, and the late Rasool Mollagholi Poor's M like Mother (2006), which after a huge success in Iran was chosen to represent Iran for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards in 2008. After playing in Body of Lies (2008) by Ridley Scott, Golshifteh became the first Iranian star to act in a major Hollywood production. Subsequently she was banned from her country. Her last film in Iran About Elly (2009) won a Silver Bear in Berlin and the Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca (2009). Golshifteh graduated from music school, she sings and plays the piano amongst other instruments. She is also fluent in French and English and lives in Paris now.- Director
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Mariam Hussein is known for The Lost City of Aztlan (2020) and March of the Potguins (2020).- Actress
Yael Shelbia was born on 31 August 2001 in Nahariya, Israel. She is an actress, known for Frankl, Rising (2020) and Mo'adon Layla (2006).- Yael Cohen Aris born August 13, 1996 is an actress, influencer and entrepreneur from Israel with a background in the Israeli army as a software engineer.
Yael has always been focused on creating content that lead to a extreme popular social media reach over the years. Today she is focused on her acting career both in Israel and globally. - Bar Refaeli is an Israeli model, television host, actress, and entrepreneur. She is considered among the most internationally successful models to come from Israel, appearing on the cover of the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and being voted No. 1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list of 2012. As a television host, Refaeli has hosted The X Factor Israel (2013) since 2013 and co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019 (2019) in Tel Aviv.
As a result of her modeling and investment careers, her net worth was estimated at US $20 million in 2015. She was the highest-paid model in Israel according to Forbes Israel in 2013 - Bar Paly was born in Nizhniy Tagil, USSR, before relocating to Tel Aviv, Israel with her family when she was seven. In her early twenties she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for acting. Bar is best known for her recurring role as Special Agent Anna Kolcheck on NCIS: LA, and her hilarious turn as Sorina Luminita in Michael Bay's Pain & Gain. She became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
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In her homeland of Israel, Noa Tishby's name is synonymous with stardom. An actress and a producer, Tishby got her first big break, at 16, playing the lead in the hit original musical, "King David", for which she won national recognition.
She got a full scholarship with The National Museum of Arts and went on to play the lead in the nation's highest-rated prime-time drama, Ramat Aviv Gimmel (1995). She became a household name and appeared in numerous TV shows and films, among them the critically-acclaimed "Hamesh Dakot BeHalincha (2001)" (aka A Five Minute Walk (2001)). Her album, "Nona", was the first English-speaking album released by an Israeli artist and also the first to hit #1 on the nation's charts (it was released in Japan by Virgin Records). She won critics' hearts playing "Anita" in the Israeli National Theater production of "West Side Story". Her image adorns billboards, entertainment and fashion magazine covers and she was voted "Sexiest Woman in Israel" in 2007.
In the US, Noa appeared in The Island (2005) with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson for director Michael Bay. She also landed leading roles in the indie films Fatwa (2006) and Connecting Dots (2003), which won the first prize in The NY and L.A. Independent film festival. Noa's recent projects are Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) for Warner Brothers opposite Matthew McConaughey, and recurring roles on HBO's Big Love (2006) and The Deep End (2010) for ABC.
As a producer, Tishby made history selling the first Israeli TV show to an American network--In Treatment (2008) to HBO. She is executive producing it with Mark Wahlberg. Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest star in this revolutionary Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning drama. She recently set up three additional TV projects in the US, and her company, "Noa's Arc", is developing numerous TV, film and theater projects from Israel to the world.
Born in Tel Aviv, Noa now resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
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Alona Tal, an Israeli-American singer and actress, was born in Herzliya, Israel. She began her career after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Her big break came in 2003 starring in an Israeli film. At the time she also starred in two television series in the country, and also dabbled in music, recording several songs with the Israeli rapper Subliminal. Tal moved in with her sister in New York to take a break from her career. There, she collaborated with Haitian artist Wyclef Jean in the song "Party to Damascus". She also managed to establish herself on American television, beginning with a recurring role in the series Veronica Mars: She originally auditioned for the lead role, but creator Rob Thomas wrote a new character just for her. Tal later snagged a regular role in the short-lived CBS series.- Avital Abergel was born on 10 June 1977 in Ramat Gan, Israel. She is an actress, known for Ha-Shminiya (2005), Ha-Chevre Ha-Tovim (1999) and Tironoot (1998). She has been married to Oved Avraham since 2011. They have two children. She was previously married to Kobi Oz.
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Bat Elle Mashian, born 1989 in Israel. Speaks Hebrew, English, Spanish and Arabic. started acting at the age of 6 at a community theater. At 16 she had her first lead role in the film "For your young daughter Rachel", which was nominated at Cannes. Studied acting at 19 at the "Beit Zvi school of performing arts", and graduated with honors at 22. Immediately after graduation she starred in a popular youth daily TV series. In recent years she participated in many Israeli films, including several who represented Israel in Cannes and Berlinale film festivals. Last year she starred in the German TV series ("Der Tel Aviv Krimi") as an Arab undercover beginner officer.- Actress
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Daniella Pick was born on 21 November 1983 in Ramat Ha-Sharon, Israel. She is an actress, known for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019), Pick Up (2005) and M.K. 22 (2004). She has been married to Quentin Tarantino since 28 November 2018. They have two children.- Actress
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In 2003, Elkaslassy began to study acting at the Haderch actor's studio in Tel-Aviv. While still a student, she began acting in Israeli television and films, including Srugim, Shiva, The Ran Quadruplets, My Lovely Sister, and Yona. In 2013, Elkaslassy completed the filmmaking track at the Minshar School for Art in Tel Aviv and graduated with honors.
Her thesis film, which took on the subject of domestic violence, was produced with support from the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund and the Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts.
Elkaslassy wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Here I Am... There You Are, which was an Official Selection at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, an Official Selection at the Seattle International Film Festival, and selected for the Official Competition at the American Film Institute's AFI Fest. The film received a nomination for the Ophir, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television award, for Best Short Film of 2014. Following the film's success, Elkaslassy was invited to be a judge in the official competition at the Vilnius International Film in 2014.
In 2015, she directed the second season of the television series Breaking Waves. The show was nominated for Best Youth Program that year, and Elkaslassy received a Best Director nomination at the Israeli Television Academy Awards. In 2016, she was awarded a grant from the Yehoshua Rabinovitch Foundation for the Arts to develop a feature-length screenplay based on my short film, Here I Am... There You Are.
In 2017, Elkaslassy directed two short films for the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. The Ministry of Education continues to screen these films in high schools across the country to this day. That same year, her original story Arugam Bay was adapted into an international television series. The screenplay was written with the assistance of the Israel Film Fund, and the show is slated for production in 2022, to be shot in Israel and Sri Lanka.
That same year, Elkaslassy directed the pilot for the Israeli adaptation of the French series, My Little Company, which she intends to produce in several countries as a web series. Meanwhile, she founded a venture that encourages women to integrate into the film industry. In 2018 and 2019, the venture collaborated with the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and awarded scholarships and production grants to single mothers.- Esti Ginzburg was born on 6 March 1990 in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is an actress, known for Twelve (2010), Movie 43 (2013) and Mo'adon Layla (2006). She has been married to Adi Keizman since 9 June 2012. They have one child.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Leem Lubany is a Palestinian actress. She is known for her role as Nadia in the 2013 film Omar, and for playing Gabrielle Joubert in the television series Condor (2018-2020). Lubany was born in Nazareth, Israel to a Palestinian family. She was a senior at Harduf Waldorf School in kibbutz Harduf, when she made her professional film debut in Hany Abu-Assad's Omar. Lubany made her debut in Omar, despite having no acting training. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. In 2014, Leem Lubany appeared in A to B and played the role of Salima in the comedy Rock the Kasbah.- Actress
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Mor Polanuer was born on 10 November 1990 in Netanya, Israel. She is an actress and director, known for On Any Saturday (2006), Typecast (2021) and Exemplar (Mofet) (2022).- Actress
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Moran Atias was born on 9 April 1981 in Haifa, Israel. She is an actress and producer, known for Third Person (2013), The Next Three Days (2010) and Mother of Tears (2007).- Nelly Tagar was born on 30 November 1982 in Ramat Gan, Israel. She is an actress, known for Past Life (2016), Sisters (2016) and The Art of Waiting (2019).
- Rotem Sela was born on 16 August 1983 in Qiryat haim, Israel. She is an actress, known for Lehiyot Ita (2013), A Body That Works (2023) and The Chef (2020). She has been married to Ariel Rotter since 27 May 2010.
- Actress
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Sarai Givaty, sometimes spelled Sarai Givati, is a well known actress, and model in Israel. Her first role was in a live sketch on the Israeli tonight show (Kol Layla (2004)) where she played an American reporter. The segment was very successful. On the final show, Israeli hush critic Raana Shacked called it "the pick of the show". Sarai continued shooting the segment even after she moved to New York where she attended acting school at the HB Studios. in 2005 Sarai was a part of a small cast who received the "Best Teen Show of The Year" from the Israel Golden Screen Award (Masah Hazahav). Shortly there after, Sarai became a big name in the Israeli entertainment industry and received many large company endorsements. A year later Sarai decided to explore her work options in Los Angeles. Upon her arrival, she quickly landed the lead role in a film called The Passage (2007) starring opposite Stephen Dorff. in 2007, the movie premiered at the Toronto Film Festival where critics called Sarai's performance "star making". Some other notable project she's worked on was the lead in the Enrique Iglesias video "Somebody's Me". In 2008 she also played a Russian spy in the pilot My Own Worst Enemy (2008) next to Christian Slater...although the show went off the air after three episodes. In 2009 Sarai was back in Israel to shoot yet another comedic role in TV series called "The Pilot Wives". Sarai also plays piano and guitar in a band and has been playing concerts in both Israel and Los Angeles.- Shely Ben-Joseph is an Israeli Movie, TV, and Theater actress. Born on November 3rd, 1990 in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to Nir and Ilanit Ben-Joseph who were residing in Germany until the family's return to Israel in 1994. At the age of 18, Ben-Joseph joined an elite Army unit at the Artillery Corps where she served as an instructor as well as a commanding officer for two years until her honorable discharge in 2011.
At the age of 19 she was selected by Igal Ozeri, a well-known New York based, photo-realism artist to be his leading model for over 20 art works including paintings and video arts for exhibitions that were displayed and sold all over the globe. At the age of 21 she studied at the Israeli Film & Theater Institute "Seminar HaKibbutzim", where she enrolled in a 3-year, full time program including intensive vocal training, advanced screen acting and participation in 'Ivana Chubbuk's' workshop in Israel.
Her first major role came in the Israeli series Shababnikim where she played the leading role of Ruth Gotliev, a strong orthodox young woman, making her a household name in Israel. Shababnikim won the Israeli Academy Award for Best TV Comedy Series as well as the Seoul International Prize for Best Comedy Series of the Year, presented in South Korea. Ben-Joseph is also known for her supporting role as Naama, an Army intelligence officer in the Netflix series When Heroes Fly, also winning Cannes Festival Best Series Award for 2018.
After gaining national recognition in Israel, she participated in an upcoming film Mr. Kohl's Final Hour to be featured worldwide by international director Doron Eran. Ben-Joseph is also going to be featured in Terraforma, an American-New Zealand production. During 2019 she is also expected to star in a prominent web-series named Drecula in a leading role.
Ben-Joseph has had a wide and prominent career in the theater as well, starring in leading roles in both of Israel's largest theaters, Habima, (Israel's national theater) and The Cameri. She starred in plays such as William Shakespeare's Hamlet and others such as Maphisto, My First Love and On the Grill - for which she was nominated for the Best Promising Actress Award in the Theater Academy Awards for her role of Alona. - Actress
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Yamit Sol was born on 1 January 1982 in Haifa, Israel. She is an actress and writer, known for You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), The Pyjamas (2003) and Sabri Maranan (2011). She has been married to Israel Nottes since 2012. They have two children. She was previously married to Eyal Feldman.- Yafit Asulin was born on 8 May 1980 in Jaffa, Israel. She is an actress, known for Nivheret Yisrael (2011), Zaguri (2014) and Mr Predictable (2016).
- Arabic, Jordanian Actress and Singer and TV presenter Hamdan started her career through the comedian TV show CBM which was aired on MBC, she was also the presenter of the TV show Meyya Mesa and Sister Soup with her sisters Mai and Dana.
In 2004, Hamadan started her TV career in Khareta Am Rakan and Sawalef Hareem, and Qerqee'aan in the next year. 2006 witnessed her film debut, she played the role of "Jameela" in the Egyptian film Zarf Taree (Emergency Case) alongside Ahmed Helmy and Nour, and the Saudi Arabian film Keif El-Haal Films Samaka Wa Sennara 2017 Madline Share' 18 (Street 18) 2008 Raweyah Bahlam Ya Donia Begad 2008 Short Film Omar Wa Salma 2007 Farah Zarf Tareq 2006 Jameelah Keif El-Haal 2006 Sahar
TV
Ze'aab Fel Wady 2018 Madline Taqet Noor 2017 Enjy Ameer Al-Leil 2016 Nariman Quloob La Tatoob 2016 Noor Shataranj 3 2016 Karma Shataranj 2 2015 Karma Tareeqy 2015 Shahd Shataranj 2015 Karma Qesset Hob 2015 Eshq An-Nesa'a 2014 Jihaan Al-Ekhwah (Brothers) 2014 Sarah Keeka Al Aaly 2014 Dina Hob Fe Al-Arba'een 2014 Musalsaleeko 2013 Le'bat Al-Mawt 2013 Noha Taraf Thaleth (Third Party) 2012 Ghaliah An-Naar Wa At-Teen 2012 Gawaher Feenak 2 2011 Al-Aneedah 2011 Sabaya 3 2011 Nancy Dimagh Hareem 2010 Al-Masraweyyah 2: Fe Ar-Reef Wa Al-Banader 2009 Nooray Arab London 2008 Qerqee'aan 3 2005 TV Show Sawalef Hareem 2004 Taheyya Kharetah Am Rakan 2004 CBM 2003 TV Show - Actress
Ola Yaseen was born on 24 September 1995 in Saudi Arabia. She is an actress, known for Click (2018), Samarqand (2016) and Asfoureyyeh (2015).- Actress
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Saba Mubarak is trailblazer star with a distinguished repertoire that includes a number of successful and internationally recognized works. From the Gulf, the Levant, Egypt and the Maghreb, Saba has won many titles and awards that reflect her ability to present the issues and conditions of Arab women with contemporary and historical variations in more than 60 works between cinema, TV and theater.
Mubarak was born in Jordan to a Jordanian father and a Palestinian mother, Hanan Al-Agha, a writer, painter and poet. Saba was greatly influenced by her mother, who shaped her artistic personality and helped her set goals at an early age. She graduated from the faculty of Fine Arts at the Yarmouk University in Jordan where she studied Theatre and Directing. While still studying, Saba made her acting debut in the Jordanian play Al Sarkha (1996) and the TV drama Qamar W Sahar (1998).
In 2003, Saba landed her first film role in the Jordanian film Travel of the Wings, followed by Out of Service, Mamlakat Al Naml (The Kingdom of Ants), and the award-winning film Transit Cities. In 2007, Mubarak starred in Al Ijtiyah (The Invasion) TV drama by director Shawqi Al Majri. The TV series won the International Emmy Award, becoming the first TV production in the Arab world to receive the prestigious award. Following her powerful performance as the Queen of Sheba in the historical TV drama Balqees (2009), produced by Dubai TV, Saba became one of the A-list actresses in the Arab film and TV industry.
In 2010, Saba made her foray into Egyptian cinema through the film Bentein Min Masr. After that, she turned to Egyptian TV dramas, starring in Sharbat Louz, Mouga Harra (Heatwave), Asia, and Khalaf Allah, in addition to two seasons of Hekayat Banat, produced by MBC. In Ramadan 2016, Saba dazzled audiences with her performance of Dorria in director Mohammed Yassin's TV drama Afrah Al Qobba (Wedding Song), a role for which she received critical and audience acclaim.
During Ramadan 2018, Saba played the lead role in director Amr Salama's TV series Tayea, alongside star Amr Youssef. For the first time, Saba played the role of a woman from Upper Egypt. Tayea was widely discussed on Twitter after the episode of her murder and the episode exceeded 5 million views on YouTube.
On the international level, Saba starred in the Swedish action/thriller films Agent Hamilton: But Not If It Concerns Your Daughter and Hamilton: I Nationens Intresse, alongside star Mikael Persbrandt in 2012.
Saba broke into the film production business by founding her production house Pan East Media in Dubai with the main objective of creating genuine Arab audio-visual content and presenting first-rate artistic works on both regional and international levels. The company's debut production is the film The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul by Turkish director Andac Haznederoglu, where Mubarak stars playing a Syrian refugee on a journey from Turkey to Germany.
Through Pan East Media, Saba produced Obour TV series, where she starred alongside a large number of Syrian and Jordanian stars and real-life refugees. Premiered on TV in Ramadan 2019, Obour shed light on the daily struggles of refugees through some real-life stories of those who joined El Wasl Refugee Camp in search of a better life. Saba's next TV series was the Jordanian drama Haris Al Jabal (The Mountain's Guardian) which aired during Ramadan 2020. The big-budget series marked Saba's return to the Bedouin drama in years. With her great ambition, Saba will soon be making her directorial debut.
Mubarak received several awards and accolades, including the Special Jury Award at the Arab Theatre Festival, Best Actress Award at the Middle East Now Festival in Italy, two-time Best Jordanian Actress in 2009 and 2010, Dubai Drama Award for her role in Balqees, and the Jordanian Tyche Awards for Best Arab Actress in 2012. Most recently, Mubarak won the Best Actress Award at the Silk Road International Film Festival in Ireland for her role in The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul that also won five other awards at international film festivals, including the Antalya Film Festival, Arab Film Festival in Korea, and the European Film Market (EFM), held as part of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film also screened at more than 10 international film festivals.
Besides being an actress and producer, Mubarak has wide experience as a jury member at international film festivals. She was selected as a jury member of the International Emmy Awards for two times, a jury member of the Feature and Short Competitions at the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden, a jury member at the 38th Cairo International Film Festival, as well as a jury member of the Short Film Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018.
Her Majesty Queen Noor Al-Hussein honored Mubarak while attending the 37th International Arab Youth Congress (IAYC), organized by the National Centre for Culture and Arts (NCCA) in Jordan, as a guest of honor. Moreover, the feature film project Daughters of Adbulrahman by actress and producer Saba Mubarak and director Zaid Abu Hamdan won a production grant from the Jordan Film Fund (JFF), organized by The Royal Film Commission Jordan - RFC, as one of 13 cinematic projects. Recently, Saba finished working on Daughters of Adbulrahman film by Zaid Abu Hamdan, which she co-produces along with Film Clinic. Also, in Sep.2021, she attended the world premiere of her film Amira, by Mohamed Diab, at the 78the Venice International Film festival. The film, written by the trio Mohamed, Khaled and Amira Diab and co-produced by several big Arab production companies, won three awards at the Venice festival: the Lanterna Magica Award, Enrico Fulchignoni Award and 10th INTERFILM Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue.- Amal Al-Awadhi is known for Banat Sukkar Nabat (2011), Memories never die (2017) and Five Daughters (2016).
- Actress
- Music Department
Tabu is an Indian actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali-language films, as well as one American film. She has won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, and holds the record for the most wins of Filmfare's Critics Award for Best Female Performer, with four. With few exceptions, she is best known for acting in artistic, low-budget films that go on to garner more critical appreciation than substantial box-office figures. Her appearances in commercially successful films were few, and her parts in these films were small, such as Border (1997), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Biwi No. 1 (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). Her most notable performances include Maachis (1996), Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Astitva (2000), Chandni Bar (2001), Maqbool (2003) and Cheeni Kum (2007). Her leading role in Mira Nair's American film The Namesake (2006) also drew major praise.
Regarded as one of the most talented Indian actresses of her generation, Tabu is known to be selective about her film roles. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2011 by the Government of India for her contributions towards the arts.- Rawan Bin Hussain is known for The Deep State (2023), Drifted by Water (2022) and Nassif Zeytoun: Faregouni (2019).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Claudia Lynx was born on 8 June 1982 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for Lady Magdalene's (2008), The West Wing (1999) and The Sixth (2011).- Actress
- Producer
Darine Hamze is a serious professional Lebanese movie star famous in the Middle East for taking on diverse, daring and complex roles in cinema. She is an MA graduate in Art and Media Practice from London's University of Westminster- UK, and a BA in Drama (Theatre Acting and Directing) from The Institute of Fine Arts- Lebanese University. Darine was born in the mid of the civil war in Beirut and sent to a private boarding school Sabis- ISC in London (England) during the war. Darine is one of her generation's most talented professionals backed up with education and grace; facing controversy and harshness from the other side with a calm professional reaction always in the face of fanaticism or some Arabic conservatives, as well as accepting the other's point of view. She is an actress with something to say and is seen as a pillar of woman's rights and the freedom of speech. Credited as one of the best Arab actresses for taking on challenging and complex roles in different dialects and languages throughout the region, her film career began in 2009 starring in a big Iranian acclaimed feature film The Book of Law- Ketabe Ghanoon, co-starring legendary Iranian movie star Parviz Parastui and directed by Maziar Miri, in which Darine studied intensive Persian dialect for it. The film had some controversy at first for criticizing the way Islam was being practiced erroneously in certain societies in Iran but was later on accepted as a smart amusing self-critiquing social romantic comedy and was a big hit and has since become a cult- underground film. Darine's academic theatrical background and love of her craft pushes her into selecting, as much as potentially available, such extreme, emotionally intelligent characters with something more to say. Her love of transformation for each role defied her ambitious acting abilities in reincarnating roles that are dissimilar in form, context and even language. She has a compelling range of characters she has played over the years in the region between Iranian and Lebanese cinema with languages varying between Arabic, Persian, French and English; as well as Arabic TV Series in Lebanese, Egyptian and Syrian dialects. Her next unique role was in 2011's French/ Lebanese controversial film Beirut Hotel opposite French actor Charles Berling, directed by Danielle Arbid, which made a huge controversy because of its political sub-text and explicit scenes. Darine took on the challenge this time to portray (Zoha) a wild romantic alternative singer that falls in love with a French spy. Darine practiced her French and even took singing classes which made the film's soundtrack, with her voice, a hit. But the film was banned in Lebanon due to suggestive scenes depicting the Lebanese government as covering up some kind of information regarding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Harriri. However, the film aired in France and Germany on Arte, and Darine was bombarded by opposing opinions for playing such a daring role. She was praised by the liberal audiences and out shun by conformists in a number of Arab societies, and she was banned by a local Islamic television, for playing the French audacious role while having being screened in their television series where she played a veiled woman (and consequently got replaced by another actress in their series' second season). In reply to the replacement the elegant actress stated calmly, that she is "a professional actress whom has the right to play any character life can encompass, whether certain ideologies accept these characters or not, emphasizing that cinema is a reflection of real life and a mirror of society with all its hidden or public issues, characters, colors, shapes and sizes, and that it is part of her job to be able to bring all sorts of characters, from all aspects of society, to life. Ending the debate by saying that she accepts their decision and respects their religion's rules and taboos because she believes in freedom of speech and having different opinions; likewise having freedom to choose any role to play as well". When asked if she regrets playing this character after losing a part of her audience, and facing harsh judgment and criticism, she explained that "an actor's job is to play all kinds of characters in the best way possible, be them devils or saints and whether loved or hated in society, and to be judged on her acting ability alone. That she as an actress is neither the veiled Muslim woman nor the liberated audacious singer, but an agnostic actress in love with her craft, and that the region's society will eventually one day understand what artistic efforts she had performed playing such opposite characters faultlessly; and how in other artistically educated and advanced countries, she would have been sensibly praised for such character built acting abilities of opposing nature". In 2016 Darine first came to the attention of the American audiences with her performance in the German/ Lebanese film Halal Love (and sex), directed by Assad Fouladkar and produced by Razor Films, which screened at the US film festivals Sundance and The Hamptons as well as many other international film festivals and screened the Golden Globes HFPA nominations. She depicted the dreamy role of (Loubna), a Muslim divorced woman trying to live her love live and desires without breaking any of her religions rules, and in it she took on the taboo topic of the Islamic pleasure marriage (which is a short-term contract). As Darine accepted an Award for it in Japan (Fukuoka International Film Festival 2016) she confirmed that she "looks for roles that challenge her psychologically and mentally, as well as fill her human emotions to stimulate evolution, because film is also a window into other people's worlds, a small peak into the other's point of view, which can help wake up society's humanity and lend a hand in bring humans together. And that she hopes that with every character she plays she brings a voice to those hidden closed windows that can help unite races, religions and cultures through the common grounds of art". She continues taking on challenging, politically unaccepted, out of the box roles in the region. Her new 2017 film role in NUTS, premiering in Dubai international Film Festival, will be (Lanna) a Lebanese poker addict rebel that dives into the risky underground world of gambling in Lebanon. Her character conveys the kind of unstable risky life one encounters while living in the Middle East.- Actress
- Casting Department
- Gabrielle Bou Rached is known for Falafel (2006) and Miss Universe 2006 (2006).
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- Soundtrack
Haifa Wehbe was born on 10 March 1976 in Mahrouna, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Bahr al nojoum (2008), Dokkan Shehata (2009) and Renegades of Europe (2022). She was previously married to Ahmad Abu Husheima.- Pamela El Kik was born on the 14th of May 1988. Originating from Lebanon, Pamela grew up in Beirut developing her acting skill in her very early childhood, at the age of 5 she was already imitating her parent's acquaintances and teachers at school; singing during scholar shows was her favorite thing.
At the age of 15, her first appearance was through Voice Over with Wassim Tabbarah who encouraged her to record fifteen characters.
At the age of 18 and while studying Radio TV at USEK, Pamela had several roles: . "Erbet Tinhall" (Comedy Sketches) . "Imra'a Min Dayaa" (Drama) . "Madame Bambino" (Movie) . "Aasr El Harim" - Maya Daw (Drama) - Actress
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"You don't know who you are until you know where you came from" is a quote Rima carried out through most of her life. Today, at 33 years old Rima Fakih Slaiby resides in California with her husband Wassim 'Sal' Slaiby and two children. Holding her current mission to break barriers for Arab women Rima holds today the title of National Director and Executive Producer of Miss Lebanon/ Miss Universe.
In less than two years Rima competed in and won four consecutive pageants prior to winning the title of Miss USA in 2010. Her win was a monumental breakthrough for all Arab women in the western world and beyond as Rima became the first and only ever Immigrant, Arab woman to win the title of Miss USA. As Miss Michigan USA 2010, Fakih served as one of the first official pageant ambassadors for women's self-defense awareness, educating women on the importance of taking the necessary precautionary measures to best protect and prepare themselves from unwanted situations. As Miss USA, Fakih is a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer education, research and legislation - a platform that is close to her heart. She will travel nationwide as an advocate for organizations such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Gilda's Club, among others. Rima received the Key to the City of Waterbury and a Proclamation from the State of Connecticut declaring September 18th "Rima Fakih Day." Mayor, John B. O'Reilly Jr. awarded Dearborn, Michigan native Rima Fakih the Key to the City and proclaimed Saturday, July 10 as "Rima Fakih Day" along a "Welcome to Dearborn, Home of Rima Fakih sign to the city.
Holding many notable appearances, Rima F Slaiby, has appeared at Ronald Reagan's Centennial Celebration, riding in a float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Regis&Kelly Show, Good Morning America, The Wendy William Show, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, and attending an American Chamber of Commerce conference in Cairo alongside former President Bill Clinton. Rima continued to make many appearances with the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE), including a special segment titled "Tribute to the Troops" and a role in the reality show "Tough Enough", "Dancing With the Stars", and Fox "The Choice."
On September 30, 2018, through her role as President and Executive Producer of the Miss Lebanon 2018 pageant, Rima not only sparked country wide interest but she also delivered a record-breaking show. By combining her pageant and business knowledge, Rima and her team of professionals lead the vision for the new and improved pageant for future participants and winners of Miss Lebanon. Rima's outing and humorous personality continues to lead her to new adventures in life.- Actress
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Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Her father is of Lebanese descent and her mother is of Mexican/Spanish ancestry. After having seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in a local movie theater, she decided she wanted to become an actress. At age 12, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. After attending Mexico City's prestigious university Universidad Iberoamericana, she felt ready to pursue acting seriously.
She soon landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a hugely successful soap opera which earned her the star status in her native Mexico. However, anxious to make films and to explore her talent as well as passion, she left both Teresa (1989) and Mexico in 1991. Heartbroken fans spread rumors that she was having a secret affair with Mexico's president and left to escape his wife's wrath. She made her way to Los Angeles. She approached Hollywood with naive enthusiasm and quickly learned that Latina actresses were typecast as the mistress maid or local prostitute. By late 1992, she had landed only small roles. She appeared on Street Justice (1991), The Sinbad Show (1993), Nurses (1991), and as a sexy maid on Dream On (1990). She also had only one line in My Crazy Life (1993). Feeling under-appreciated by Anglo filmmakers, she vented her frustrations on Paul Rodriguez's late-night Spanish-language talk show.
Robert Rodriguez and his wife Elizabeth Avellan happened to be watching and were immediately smitten with her. He soon gave her big break -- to star opposite Antonio Banderas in the cult classic Desperado (1995), bringing her into Hollywood prominence. The moviegoers were as dazzled with her as he had been. Afterwards, she was cast again by Rodriguez to star in the cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Her first star billing came later that year with Fools Rush In (1997) opposite Matthew Perry. It was a modest hit and her star continued to rise in both commercial and films such as Breaking Up (1997) with an unknown Russell Crowe, 54 (1998), Dogma (1999) and In the Time of the Butterflies (2001), the small artistic film which won her an ALMA award as best actress and the summer blockbuster Wild Wild West (1999). Her production company Ventanarosa produced the Mexican feature film El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and selected as Mexico's official Oscar entry for best foreign film.
The new millennium started out quietly as she prepared to produce and star in her dream role of Frida Kahlo, the legendary Mexican painter whom she had been admiring her entire life and whose story she wanted to bring to the big screen ever since she arrived in Hollywood. Frida (2002) was full of passion and enthusiasm, with performances from her and Alfred Molina as Kahlo's cheating husband Diego Rivera. It also featured an entourage of stars such as Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino.
It was a box office hit and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best actress for Hayek. It won awards for make-up and score by Elliot Goldenthal. Later that year, she expanded her horizons, directing The Maldonado Miracle (2003), which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, she starred in the finale of Rodriguez's Desperado trilogy Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), again opposite Banderas. She also starred in After the Sunset (2004) opposite Pierce Brosnan, and Ask the Dust (2006) opposite Colin Farrell. She then starred in Bandidas (2006), which also featured Penélope Cruz, and Lonely Hearts (2006) opposite Jared Leto.- Music Artist
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Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia to Nidia del Carmen Mebarak (née Ripoll Torrado) & William Alberto Mebarak Chadid. She is of Lebanese, Spanish & Italian descent. Shakira began her musical career at the age of 12 and quickly captured fans around the world. She won the 2001 Best Latin pop Grammy for her MTV Unplugged album.- Diala Makki is known for Don't Judge a Subject by Its Photograph (2013) and Rise (2014).
- Nadine Nassib Njeim is Lebanese-Tunissian actress (Lebanese father and Tunissian mother) and a Formar Miss Lebanon from 2004 to 2005, started her career when she was only 16 years old. she managed to land the voice-acting role of the Arabic version of Lara Croft in the 2013 video game Tomb Raider. Nadine has been married to Hadi Asmar since 2012. known for her rules in Nos Youm (2016), What If: Aka Laow (2014) and Cello (2015)..