Education
He emigrated to the Netherlands in 1981 where he studied aerodynamics in Haarlem and worked as an airplane engineer for several years.
director screenwriter film producer
He emigrated to the Netherlands in 1981 where he studied aerodynamics in Haarlem and worked as an airplane engineer for several years.
Abu-Assad is Palestinian and carries Israeli citizenship having been born in Nazareth, Israel in 1961. Though Israeli by birth, Abu-Assad self-identifies as a Palestinian. Abu-Assad was inspired after watching a film by Michel Khleifi to pursue a career in cinema.
Abu-Assad initially started as a television producer working on commissions for Channel 4 and the British Broadcasting Corporation. He founded Ayloul Film Productions in 1990 with the Palestinian film-maker Rashid Masharawi.
In 1998, he directed his first film, Het 14de kippetje (The Fourteenth Chick), from a script by writer Arnon Grunberg. Later films include the documentary Nazareth 2000 (2000) and the feature film Rana"s Wedding (2002).
In 2014, Omar was the Palestinian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, and was nominated for the award. Dar 0 Dour (1990) - Producer
Long Days in Gaza (1991) - Producer
De Arabieren van 2001 (1999) - Director
Het Spijkerkwartier (2000) - Director
Nazareth 2000 (2000) - Director
Ford Transit (2002) - Director.
He has received two Academy Award nominations: in 2006 for his film Paradise Now, and again in 2013, at the 86th Awards, for his film Omar. In 1992, Abu-Assad wrote and directed his first short film, Paper House which was made for NOS Dutch television and won several international awards at film festivals in Paris and Jerusalem. In 2006, his film Paradise Now won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and received an Oscar-nomination in the same category. In 2005 Paradise Now won the Golden Calf for best Dutch film. His 2013 film Omar was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Jury Prize. In 2014, Abu-Assad was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.