Lina Soualem is a Palestinian-French filmmaker, journalist, and actress.
Early life and education
Soualem was born in Paris, the daughter of actors Hiam Abbas and Zinedine Soualem[1] and sister of actress Mouna Soualem. She is of Palestinian descent on her mother's side and Algerian descent on her father's. Her maternal grandmother and great-grandmother were displaced from Tiberias during the Nakba.[2] Soualem's mother would speak Palestinian Arabic at home, and the family regularly holidayed in Auvergne and Palestine.[3]
Soualem studied History and Political Science at Paris-Sorbonne University.[4]
Career
Soualem began her career as a journalist[5] and acted in her mother's film Inheritance (2012)[6] and Rayhana Obermeyer's I Still Hide to Smoke (2016).[7] She voiced Yassar in the 2018 Norwegian animated film The Tower and then featured in Hafsia Herzi's You Deserve a Lover the following year.[8]
During this time, Soualem worked on her directorial debut and first documentary Their Algeria on her Algerian paternal grandparents and their immigration journey to France in the 1950s.[9][10] She then served as a story editor and researcher on the 2022 Disney+ series Oussekine.[11]
Soualem's second documentary Bye Bye Tiberias explores her own mother Hiam Abbas' background and family history as she left her Palestinian village to pursue an acting career before returning.[12][13] Both Their Algeria and Bye Bye Tiberias depict "painful history" and its generational effects on families.[14] Bye Bye Tiberias opened at the 2023 Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim.[15] The film received a number of accolades, including a César Award nomination, in addition to being the Palestinian submission for the Academy Award for Best International Film.[16]
Soualem will direct her first fiction feature film titled Alicante, starring her sister Mouna.[17]
Filmography
Filmmaking credits
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Other | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Their Algeria (French: Leur Algérie) | Yes | Yes | Cinematographer | Documentary |
2022 | Oussekine | No | Story editor | Researcher | 4 episodes |
2023 | Bye Bye Tiberias | Yes | Yes | Additional cinematography, sound recordist | Documentary |
TBA | Alicante |
Acting credits
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | La Légende de Parva | Indra | Voice role |
2012 | Inheritance | Alya | |
2016 | I Still Hide to Smoke | Meriem | |
2018 | The Tower | Yassar | Voice role |
2019 | You Deserve a Lover | Lina |
References
- ^ Lopes, Catherine (11 October 2021). "« Leur Algérie » : un documentaire poignant de Lina Soualem tourné dans le Puy-de-Dôme". France 3 (in French). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Al-Dujaili, Dalia (28 June 2024). "With Bye Bye Tiberias, Lina Soualem is taking back her family's legacy". A Rabbit's Foot. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Duponchel, Marilou (15 February 2024). "Lina Soualem : « On peut être attachée à une tradition familiale et avoir un désir de liberté »". Trois Couleurs (in French). Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (5 May 2020). "Lina Soualem • Réalisatrice de Leur Algérie". CinEuropa (in French). Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Lina Soualem". The Funambulist Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Ashby, Chloë (20 April 2023). "How a 'Succession' Actress's Daughters Joined the Family Business". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Witherspoon, James (26 October 2017). "I Still Hide to Smoke". Era Journal. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Weissberg, Jay (2 June 2019). "Cannes Film Review: 'You Deserve a Lover'". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (29 April 2020). "Review: Their Algeria". CinEuropa. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Gbadamassi, Falila (13 October 2021). "Lina Soualem rend audible une histoire algérienne "pleine de silence" dans "Leur Algérie"". France TV Info (in French). Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Desroches, Thomas (13 May 2022). "Oussekine sur Disney+ : comment est née la série... après 36 ans de silence". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Aftab, Kaleem (23 October 2020). "It's a Family Affair as Lina Soualem Presents Docs About Hiam Abbas and Zinedine Soualem at El Gouna". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Adnan, M.Z. (19 March 2024). "Lina Soualem's new documentary pieces together a puzzle of Palestinian family history". Hyphen. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ Akerman, Iain (13 November 2020). "Family affairs: Lina Soualem's success story". Arab News. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (27 July 2023). "Venice's Giornate Degli Autori Unveils 20th Edition Line-Up; Featuring Surprise Short From Céline Sciamma & Jean-Marc Vallée Tribute". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Khoury, Gilles (24 February 2024). "Lina Soualem: 'Bye Bye Tiberias,' it's through words that Palestinians survive". L'Orient Today. Retrieved 4 March 2025.(subscription required)
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (5 December 2024). "Lina Soualem on Transitioning From Docs to Feature Filmmaking With Drama 'Alicante' That Will Star Her Sister Mouna Soualem". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
External links
- Lina Soualem at IMDb
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