HANY ABU ASSAD / HUDA'S SALON
Born in Nazareth in 1961, Hany moved with his family to the Netherlands as a young man. There he studied and worked as an engineer for two years before getting a job as a producer of documentaries and shorts with Dutch TV.
In 2002, his 2nd feature Rana’s Wedding, about a girl from Jerusalem, who had until 4pm to get married or leave with her father to Cairo, gained Hany accolades on the festival circuit. But, it wasn’t until Paradise Now (2005) about two childhood friends who volunteer to become suicide bombers, that the world took notice. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 63rd Golden Globes. The first time a Palestinian film was nominated for such an award
His 3rd feature Omar, (ANA2014), about a young Palestinian freedom fighter who becomes an informant after he's tricked into an admission of guilt by association in the wake of an Israeli soldier's killing, was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
The Idol (2015), in which he has a cameo, is based on the real-life story of Mohammad Assaf, the Palestinian singer and winner of the 2nd season of “Arab Idol”.
He is the director of Huda’s Salon (2021) and the Producer of Amira (2021).