Akram Al-Ashqar ( ar, أكرم الأشقر) (born 1982) is a
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
film director global, photographer and IT professional. He was born in the city of
Tulkarm
Tulkarm, Tulkarem or Tull Keram ( ar, طولكرم, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located in the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian cities of N ...
in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
.
He started with the movies
He started photography at his childhood, and made short films using his home video camera at that time. Akram graduated from Arab American University in 2006 specializing in Computer Information Technology.
His films include: ''
First Picture'' (2006), ''
Red, Dead, Mediterranean'' (2006), and ''Paper War'' (2007). His short film, "Red, Dead and Mediterranean", portrays whole generations of Palestinian children who are obsessed with a sea they know nothing about. His short film, “Paper War”, summarizes the Lebanon war through the symbols present on the paper currency used.
His first professional documentary film, ''
First Picture'' (2006), is the story of a Palestinian child from the
Tulkarm Camp
Tulkarm Camp (Arabic: مخيم طولكرم), is a Palestinian refugee camp north of the West Bank in the city of Tulkarm, established in 1950 on 0.18 km2 by the UNRWA. It is the second largest refugee camp in the West Bank, as well as one of th ...
for Palestinian refugees. This child was born in one of the Israeli prisons. After spending more than two and a half years in prison, he was released independently from his mother, who remains imprisoned by the Israeli Authority. The film follows the child's adventures outside of prison under the protection of his family and with the companionship of his mother's freed friends from prison, and how his experience in prison shapes those adventures.
The ''
First Picture'' (2006) produced by the Arab Institute of Film. Al Ashqar's film ''
Red, Dead and Mediterranean'' was featured as part of IN FOCUS, a London art exhibition focusing on artist's experiences in the Middle East.
His international awards
* Libya Award in 2004.
* Mexico Award in 2017.
* Algeria Award in 2017.
* Sultanate of Oman International Festival Award in 2018.
His films
* Red, Dead & Med, 2006.
* Palestine, Summer, 2006.
* Paper War, 2007.
*
First Picture, 2007.
* Five Boys and A Wheel, 2016.
Akram Al-Ashqar
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References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashqar, Akram
Living people
Palestinian documentary filmmakers
Palestinian film directors
People from Tulkarm
1982 births
Palestine Technical University faculty