Nabil Al Raee
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 Nabil Al Raee  (director, actor) | |
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Slated to portray Muammar Gaddafi in Sky docudrama "Lockerbie: A Search for Truth" (Jan 2025) |
Nabil al-Raee is an influential Palestinian director and actor known for his significant contributions to theatre in Palestine. He joined the Freedom Theatre in 2007 and became its Artistic Director, continuing the vision of its co-founder Juliano Mer-Khamis. Al Raee has directed numerous notable productions, and his work is recognised globally.[1]
UK visa denied
In June 2014, Nabil al-Raee was denied a visa to participate in a speaking tour of the UK. Al-Raee suggested that he was being excluded from the UK for political reasons:
- “My wife is Portuguese so if I had any wish to live in Europe I would not need a UK visa to do so. I was rejected because of who I am, and this rejection is also part of why we are struggling for our rights and our freedom.”[2]
Milestones
- Joined Theatre Day Productions in the 1990s and travelled to Tunisia and Europe.
- Joined the Freedom Theatre in 2007 as a trainer.
- Became the Artistic Director of the Freedom Theatre after the assassination of Juliano Mer Khamis in 2011.
- Directed "The Siege," a critical retelling of the story of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity during the height of the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. "The Siege" premiered in Jenin on 3 April 2015.[3]
- Led the Freedom Theatre's first tour of the UK, which started in Manchester on 13 May 2015.
Contributions
- Directed the Freedom Theatre's first production in 2006.
- Developed a pedagogy of theatre under occupation.
- Directed "The Journey," portraying the experiences of young Palestinians.
- International tours with the Freedom Theatre, including to India and the United States.
- Collaborative projects with international artists, like the theatre production in Pakistan.
- Played a role in "The Idol" (2015), a Palestinian drama film directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
- Acted in the film "200 Meters" (2020).
- Appeared in "The Teacher" (2023), a drama film by British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi.
- Slated to portray Muammar Gaddafi in "Lockerbie: A Search for Truth", a five-part Sky docudrama based on the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and the search for justice by Dr Jim Swire and his wife Jane, who tragically lost their beloved daughter, Flora, in the devastating event (January 2025).[4]
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