Zahraa Ghandour

Zahraa Ghandour is an Iraqi actress and film director.

Zahraa Ghandour
Zahraa Ghandour, 2020 International Women’s Day, Baghdad
Born
Baghdad, Iraq
NationalityIraqi
Occupation(s)actress and film director

Ghandour was born and raised in Baghdad to a Lebanese father and an Iraqi mother.[1] She left Iraq in 2004 to live in Syria, then to Beirut, Lebanon. A few years later she returned to Iraq. Living in these three countries allowed her to master several accents: Iraqi, Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian. She is also fluent in English.

Early career

Ghandour started her work in media at the age of 17. By the time she was 22, she had her own TV show (‘52 minutes’), a weekly documentary show focusing on social issues in Iraq.

She started as a writer and presenter and began also directing the show with the second season. Ghandour has held a variety of media jobs in online media, radio and television, where she presents the long-running technology show “Dot.IQ” on Sumaria TV.

Acting

Alongside her work as a documentary filmmaker, Ghandour started an acting career that soon made her one of the most prominent figures of Iraq’s fledgling but dynamic film industry. Her work includes roles both in Arabic and English.

A chance encounter with Mohammed Al-Daradji, a well-established Iraq-based filmmaker, led to her getting the leading role in the acclaimed film “The Journey”, which premiered at TIFF in 2017 and represented Iraq in nominations in the foreign feature category at the 2019 Academy Awards.[2] After working on her part for three years, her performance as Sara, a female suicide bomber, drew much attention and earned her widespread critical acclaim,[3][4][5] as well as a number of awards. The film was released in France under the title "Baghdad Station" on 20 February 2019.[6]

She was then called up by Baghdad-born Swiss filmmaker Samir for the main female role in his latest feature film, Baghdad in My Shadow,[7] which is to be released in 2019.

In parallel, she is working on a number of acting projects for television, including for the Channel 4 series "Baghdad Central".[8]

Awards
  • Won the Best actress award at the Muscat International Film Festival 2018.[9]
  • Nominated for best actress award by the Arab Film Center 2018.[10]
  • Won the best Best Actress award at the 4th Annual Asian Film Festival (US)[11]
  • She won the Best actress award at the 2018 Malmo Arab Fim Festival[12]
  • She won the Best actress award at the Festival des Cinémas Arabes 2018 organised by the Paris-based Arab World Institute(IMA)[13]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2017 The Journey[14] Sara An Iraqi drama film directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
2019 Baghdad in My Shadow[15] Amal By Swiss director ‘Samir’, release date 2019.
2021 Messi Baghdad Salwa Directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa, release date 2022.

References
  1. العراقية "زهراء غندور" لـ"الميادين نت": "شاهدت نفسي في الرحلة فقررت إمتهان التمثيل"
  2. "Oscars: Iraq Selects 'The Journey' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  3. "La guerra, desde el corazón de una mujer". www.publico.es. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  4. Ocaña, Javier (2018-12-28). "Irak, fisicidad y contexto". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  5. "Baghdad Station : Dans la peau d'une terroriste irakienne [critique]". Premiere.fr (in French). 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  6. "Baghdad Station (2017)". www.unifrance.org (in French). Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  7. Baghdad in My Shadow, retrieved 2019-02-22
  8. Baghdad Central (TV Series), retrieved 2019-02-22
  9. "'The Journey' Film by Mohamed al Daradji Wins Two Awards at the Muscat International Film Festival". www.albawaba.com. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  10. "Arab Cinema Center Organized by MAD Solutions". acc.film. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  11. Festival (AWFF), Asian World Film. "4th Annual Asian World Film Festival Announces Winners". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  12. "closing 2018 | Malmo Arab Film Festival". maffswe.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  13. "Palmarès". Institut du monde arabe (in French). 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  14. "The Journey (Al Rahal)". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  15. "Crew United - Das Netzwerk der Film- und Fernsehbranche". www.crew-united.com (in German). Retrieved 2018-05-18.
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