Leila Sansour (Arabic: ليلى صنصور; Russian: Лейла Сансур), is a USSR-born Palestinian film director and film producer. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Open Bethlehem, a non-governmental foundation established to promote and protect the life and heritage of the city of Bethlehem.[1] Sansour developed the Bethlehem Passport in partnership with the city council and governor of Bethlehem. Pope Benedict XVI became the first recipient of the Bethlehem passport when he accepted the citizenship of Bethlehem from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in December 2005.[2]
Leila Sansour | |
|---|---|
| ليلى صنصور | |
_(cropped).jpg) Sansour at the 2024 Chiswick Book Festival | |
| Born | February 16, 1966 |
| Education | Sorbonne University, Moscow State University, University of Warwick |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, film producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | Founder, CEO of Open Bethlehem |
| Spouse | Nicholas Blincoe |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
editSansour is from an old Palestinian Roman Catholic family. She was born in Moscow, 16 February 1966,[3] to a Palestinian father and a Russian mother.[4] Her father Anton was teaching mathematics at Moscow State University. Sansour and her family moved to the city of Bethlehem in 1972.[3] Her father became one of the founders of the Bethlehem University, previously a Roman Catholic seminary.[5]
Sansour studied at the Sorbonne, Moscow State University and the University of Warwick.
Career
editSansour is a film director who produced the film Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli Army [2003], following the British comedian Jeremy Hardy and his travails during the siege of Bethlehem in 2002. She began her film work in television and produced the series Cultural Portraits for Al Jazeera, featuring profiles of prominent Arabs who had made a significant world contribution in the arts, science or politics.
Her most recent work is the film and awareness campaign Open Bethlehem. The film screened in festivals in the U.K., and toured Canada in September 2016, screening in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. Open Bethlehem is an international campaign that works to promote global engagement with Bethlehem as a real and contemporary city in the Middle East.[6][7] It does so by supporting the distribution of communication tools about Bethlehem to boost international interest and awareness and by promoting visits to Bethlehem through established and specialized tour operators. The campaign also works to develop a network of passionate ambassadors for the city through the Bethlehem Passport Program.[8]
Personal life
editSansour married the English writer Nicholas Blincoe, having met while studying at Warwick. The couple reside in London.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Leila Sansour". www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org.
- ^ Newbould, Chris (April 5, 2015). "Leila Sansour to take film Open Bethlehem to America". The National. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Klaff, Sharon (29 February 2024). "St. James unwrapped". Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
- ^ "Leila Sansour". Center for Palestine Studies. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Palestinian Director Leila Sansour Talks Bethlehem". Middle East Institute.
- ^ Hudson, Dale (September 21, 2015). "Leila Sansour's Open Bethlehem: Making Palestine Legible and Bethlehem Accessible". Jadaliyya (جدلية). Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 December 2014). "Open Bethlehem review – heartfelt plea against incarceration of a city". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014.
- ^ "Help us make the star of Bethlehem shine brighter. We believe its light can carry the voice of the whole of Palestine". Aflamnah. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- ^ McGrath, Nick (6 December 2014). "My hymn to Bethlehem". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
External links
edit- Leila Sansour at IMDb
- Leila Sansour at "Dreams of a nation", Columbia University
- Open Bethlehem film and campaign
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