Primarily known as a critically acclaimed director of numerous award-winning films, Cherien Dabis made her acting debut opposite Bill Pullman, Hiam Abbass and Alia Shawkat in her own film, Sundance-opener “May in the Summer” (2013), which she wrote and directed. She followed it up with a leading role in “Villa Touma” (2014), a dark comedy from director Suha Arraf. The film premiered at the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals. More recently, Dabis has had guest starring roles in TV series such as “Extrapolations” with Maryl Streep, Edward Norton, Diane Lane and Sienna Miller, as well as in Netflix's award-winning comedy “Mo” and Amazon Prime's post-apocalyptic hit “Fallout”.

Saleh Bakri is a Palestinian film and theater actor. He began his career in the theater. He is the son of actor and film director Mohammad Bakri, and the brother of actors Ziad, Adam Bakri and Mahmood Bakri.

In 2007, Bakri appeared in his first two films: "The Band’s Visit" and "Salt of this Sea" by Annemarie Jacir, which premiered at Cannes in 2008".

In 2011, Bakri appeared in Radu Mihaileanu’s film "The Source" alongside Leïla Bekhti, Hafsia Herzi, Biyouna, Sabrina Ouazani and Hiam Abbass.

Other projects include "Laila’s Birthday" by Rashid Masharawi, Annemarie Jacir’s Second film "When I Saw You".

In 2015 Bakri appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in the play Fireworks by Palestinian playwright Dalia Taha. In 2019 Bakri starred in ""Dialogue with the Unseen"" by Italian artist Valerio Rocco Orlando, a video installation about individuals who are questioning their own relationship with nature and society.

In 2021 Bakri’s film "The Present" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

In 2022, Bakri played the protagonist in “The Blue Caftan”, directed by Maryam Touzani.

In 2023, he won the award for Best Actor for his role as a teacher in the film by Farah Nabulsi at the Red Sea International Film Festival. 

Born into a family deeply rooted in the arts, Bakri’s passion for acting was cultivated from a young age. Bakri began his acting career at the age of 13 when he first appeared on the stage of the Al-Midan Theater in Haifa and Nazareth in "Ululation of the Land". 

He gained international recognition for his role in the Oscar-nominated drama thriller “Omar” (2013), in which he portrayed a young Palestinian freedom fighter and was praised for his powerful and nuanced performance. In 2014, he was cast as the male lead in Asif Kapadia’s film adaptation of “Ali and Nino”, the Azerbaijan’s national novel placed during the first Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. 

In 2018, Bakri played the male lead in an Australian feature film entitled “Slam”, written and directed by Partho Sen-Gupta and shot in Sydney. In England, he was part of the main cast of Gavin Hood’s political thriller “Official Secrets” in the role of Katharine Gun’s husband.

Maria Zreik is a Palestinian actress born on December 29, 1991, in Haifa, Palestine. She began her career in an unconventional way, initially studying law and pursuing ballet on stage before transitioning to acting. Zreik's breakthrough came with her debut role in the film "Villa Touma" (2014), directed by Suha Arraf and alongside her fellow actress Cherien Dabis. 

This performance earned her the Best Actress Award at the REGGIO Calabria Film Festival and brought her significant attention in Palestinian cinema. Following her successful debut, Zreik has appeared in several feature films, TV series, advertisements, and theater productions. One of her most notable roles was the lead in "Ave Maria," which received an Oscar nomination in 2016. In 2017, Zreik's talent was further recognized when she was selected as part of Screen International's "Arab Stars of Tomorrow" in association with the Dubai International Film Festival. That same year, she was also nominated for the Muhr Feature Award for Best Actress. Throughout her career, Zreik has showcased her versatility by appearing in various productions, including "Wajib," "Laila in Haifa," "Between Worlds" and "The Translator". Her work has garnered critical acclaim and helped establish her as a prominent figure in Palestinian and Middle Eastern cinema. Aside from her acting career, Zreik holds a bachelor's degree in Law, demonstrating her diverse interests and educational background.

Bakri began his professional acting career in with Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv, Haifa theater and al-Kasaba theater in Ramallah. His one-man plays, "The Pessoptimist" (1986), "The Anchor" (1991), "Season of Migration to the North" (1993) and "Abu Marmar" (1999), were performed in Hebrew and Arabic.

After a few years of acting in Palestinian and Israeli film, Bakri began to act in international films in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada and Italy. In the drama feature film "Privat" by Saverio Costanzo, he played the lead role of Mohammad B. and won the award for Best Actor in Buenos Aires, Cairo and Locarno in 2005. For the role of Abu Shadi in "Wajib", he won the Arab Critic Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Muhr Award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2018. Bakri also directed two documentary films, including the "Jenin, Jenin".