Kamel El Basha

Acting

Kamel El Basha

Born March 14, 1962 · Jerusalem, Palestine (age 64)

Kamel El Basha is a Palestinian actor of screen and stage, theater director, play-writer and producer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s. He gained critical acclaim in 2017 when he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor (male) during the 74th Venice International Film Festival for his role as Yasser Abdallah Salameh in The Insult by the Lebanese film director Ziad Doueiri. It was El …

Known For

Wedding, BerlinWedding, Berlin
Wedding, Berlin
MovieDrama
Amal turns her Berlin wedding into an act of protection for the Palestinian artist she loves — until the outside world presses in, testing how much that protection can truly hold.
Palestine 36Palestine 36 · 2025
Palestine 36
★ 7.72025
MovieDramaHistory
Year 1936. As villages across Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe and some arriving with nefarious Zionist-colonial ambitions, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.
The InsultThe Insult · 2017
The Insult
★ 7.52017
MovieDramaCrime
After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.
AsadAsad · 2026
Asad
★ 8.22026
MovieHistoryAction
A slave in 19th Century Egypt revolts against his masters for equal rights for slaves to live freely.
Conversation with the SeaConversation with the Sea · 2026
Conversation with the Sea
★ 8.02026
MovieDramaMystery
In Jerusalem, Kamal, a 60-year-old Palestinian man, is ordered by an Israeli court to pay a large social security debt allegedly owed by his son Wael. But Wael drowned in the Red Sea decades ago. When no official record of his death can be found, Kamal follows the only remaining lead to uncover what happened to his son.
Huda's SalonHuda's Salon · 2022
Huda's Salon
★ 6.12022
MovieThriller
Based on real events, Huda’s Salon is a heart-racing, entertaining feminist thriller, where two women fight for their freedom. Reem, a young mother who is married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. However, this ordinary visit turns sour after Huda puts Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to work for the secret service of the occupiers and betrays her people.
Palestine IslandsPalestine Islands · 2023
Palestine Islands
★ 5.72023
MovieDrama
Maha, 12, is part of the last generation of Palestinian refugees from the Balata camp. Following a faintness from her blind grandfather, she imagines a crazy project: to make him believe that the wall of separation has fallen and that a return to his native land is possible.
My Father's ScentMy Father's Scent · 2026
My Father's Scent
★ 5.72026
MovieDramaThriller
Over the course of one long night, a father and his son each discover many secrets about the other, and together they try to overcome all the differences of the past and move forward.

Filmography

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Love, Theft and Other EntanglementsLove, Theft and Other Entanglements · 2015
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements
★ 4.02015
MovieDrama
Layabout, clandestine lover, small-time hood – Mousa has all kinds of skills. A refugee camp resident, this Palestinian does not give a damn about his father’s hard-won permit to work legally in the Israeli part of Jerusalem – he would rather earn a living stealing Israeli cars and selling them to Palestinian fences. Mousa is convinced that his future lies far away from all the violence and constraints that characterise life in the divided city; his heart, moreover, belongs to a married woman. Following the theft of a Passat one day he is given a brutal goingover by Palestinian militia-men. On closer inspection of the vehicle, he makes a discovery which suddenly makes apolitical Mousa of interest to all sides …
Al Helm: Martin Luther King in PalestineAl Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine · 2014
Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine
★ 5.02014
MovieDocumentaryDrama
An African American gospel choir is the Greek chorus for a Palestinian play on Martin Luther King, Jr. which tours the West Bank, preaching nonviolence. The devoutly Christian choir grew up in churches strongly allied with Israel. On their first trip to the Holy Land they witness the harsh realities of life under occupation, a nonviolent movement for justice, and an assassination. Our story is a unique view of a crucial human rights conflict. Mixing the excitement of foot-stomping gospel music and creative theater it reveals the power of art to communicate, heal, and give voice to communities living in fear. It is a cultural exchange of immense depth and far-reaching implications, where, during the course of the journey, people's preconceptions are radically changed.

Director