Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Tariq Qubti is a Palestinian actor. He was born in the city of Nazareth on August 20, 1944. He died in the city of Nazareth on February 23, 2022. He worked in the field of education and later worked in journalism and translation, and he acted in many films and plays since the 1970s.
Coptic acted in many Palestinian films that participated in the Cannes Film Festival, such as the film “If You Like It, As in Heaven,” which in 2019 won the International Federation of Film Critics Award for Best Film Directed by Elia Suleiman, as well as the film “The Time That Remains” ( 2009), which gave him widespread international fame because of his role as “The Neighbor.” He also acted in the movie “Ten Rings of the Bell” (2018) by Elie Rizk. He performed the movie “The Forgotten” in 2011, directed by Ihab Tarabay.
His life
He is the youngest brother among his six brothers and sisters. He was born in the city of Nasser in the Coptic neighborhood, which is located in the center of the city, near the old city, and he lived there all his life. His father, Jaber, is a Copt and his mother, an Indian, is Maqlishi, both from Nazareth.
He was only 4 years old when the Nakba occurred and the Palestinians were displaced from their homes. His father refused to leave Nazareth. Coptic received his primary and secondary education at the Baptist School in Nazareth and graduated from it. Then, in 1964, he moved to study at Dar Al-Tameems College in Jaffa, where he lived throughout his studies. His father was also working during that period in Jaffa, and “Faraj,” Tariq’s older brother, helped him in that. Tariq and his father used to spend the night together.
Education and theater
A Copt graduated from Dar Al-Tameem College in 1966, and then returned to the city of Nazareth to work in the field of education from the 1960s until the 1980s. His interest in theater also coincided with his work in education, as his theatrical beginnings were in the mid-1960s after his graduation. Coptic began teaching immediately after his graduation and worked in the primary school in the town of Bir al-Maksour, near Nazareth. He then moved on to teach Hebrew and geography in Middle School A also in Nazareth, where he taught until his early retirement in 1988.
Israeli censorship and harassment
Coptic ranks and classes were subjected to continuous censorship and harassment, especially during the seventies, which was a period of political momentum in Nazareth, and especially after the election of Tawfiq Ziad and the Nazareth Front to lead the municipality of Nazareth, where a Copt was active in the ranks of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality in Nazareth, and participated in most political and national activities. In the city and outside it, he presented a large number of artistic works to commemorate national occasions, including readings and divination meetings. During that period, the interference of Israeli intelligence and inspectors in the Arab education system intensified, and strict control was imposed on teachers and the national content provided to students in Arab schools.
His works
The play "The King is the King" (1979) Municipal Theater
The play "The Rock" (1980), Municipal Theater
The play “A Scene from the Bridge” (2002), Al-Midan Theater
The film "The Remaining Time" (2009)
The play “Oh Sun, Do Not Set” (2010), Ensemble Fringe Theater, Nazareth
The movie "The Forgotten" (2011)
The play “1945” (2015) Al-Midan Theater
Film "Ten Rings of the Bell" (2017)
The movie “!f You Like It, As It Is in Heaven” (2019)
He played the lead role in the movie “The Taste of Red Apples” (2022)
His death
Despite his health conditions before his death, his participation in the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 for Elia Suleiman’s latest film, “If You Will, As in Heaven,” was a culmination and honor of his artistic career.
In January 2022, a month before his death, the Hanin Theater in Nazareth honored Copti and talked about his career and passion for theater and acting. Coptic gave a short speech on the occasion, so this concert was the final farewell from his fans, fellow theater colleagues.
One of the last films in which a Copt participated in a starring role, and which has not yet been shown, is the film “The Taste of Red Apples” by director Ihab Tarabay, from the Syrian Golan, which he finished filming a year before his death.
A Copt died on February 23, 2022, at the age of 78, following a health illness and was buried in the city of Nazareth.
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
: From
To