Hiam Abbass to Receive European Film Academy Honorary Award
The Palestinian actress will be the honorary guest at the 39th European Film Awards in Athens on January 16, 2027, according to Deadline.
Hiam Abbass will receive the European Film Academy's honorary award for European Achievement in World Cinema, the Academy announced. The prize will be presented at the 39th European Film Awards in Athens on January 16, 2027, where Abbass will be the honorary guest of the ceremony, according to Deadline.
Abbass was born in Nazareth to a Palestinian family forced into exile in 1948. She began her acting career at the Palestinian National Theatre El-Hakawati in East Jerusalem and has lived in Paris since the late 1980s.
In 1989 she played her first lead role, in La nuit miraculeuse, directed by Ariane Mnouchkine. Her filmography since then has run past 100 titles, among them Satin Rouge, Paradise Now, The Visitor and Blade Runner 2049.
She was nominated for the People's Choice Award in 2005 for Syrian Bride and for European Actress in 2008 for Lemon Tree, which won her an Asia Pacific Screen Award. She also directed Inheritance, which screened at Gijón, São Paulo and Venice Days in 2012.
The award adds to a family connection with the European Film Awards: her daughter, documentary filmmaker Lina Soualem, saw her film Bye Bye Tiberias nominated for the awards in 2024.
Quick answers
When and where will Hiam Abbass receive the award?
The honorary award will be presented at the 39th European Film Awards on January 16, 2027, in Athens.
What is the award called?
The European Film Academy's honorary award for European Achievement in World Cinema.
What is Hiam Abbass known for?
Her films include Satin Rouge, Paradise Now, The Visitor and Blade Runner 2049; she directed Inheritance, which screened at Gijón, São Paulo and Venice Days in 2012.