Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Rana Abu Freiha (born October 8, 1990) is a documentary filmmaker and videographer. One of her most famous works is the movie "Steps for Her", which documents the story of her family.
Rana Abu Fariha was born in Tel Sheva. Her mother, Rodina, was an English teacher, and her father was a transport engineer. Her mother was an Israeli Arab from the agricultural village of Gath in the Triangle region. And she has four brothers. Her sister, Yasmine, is a doctor, social activist, and pioneer. Her brother, Amir, was a distinguished mathematician and works in the technology sector. Abu Fariha also participated in mathematics competitions in middle schools, she was chosen to participate in the Ben-Gurion University program for gifted students when she was in the fifth grade.
When she was five, her family moved to the nearby Jewish town of Omer, becoming one of the first two Bedouin families there (by 2019 the number was ten). According to Abu Freiha, her parents were revolutionary thinkers, and given that their city had no kindergarten or daycare options, this move was a radical solution. Omar was entirely Jewish, mostly Ashkenazi, and very nationalistic. Growing up there was a difficulty for her. She said of it: "Today I understand how powerful this duality is. It is actually able to see all that is considered 'normal' and 'right' from the outside, and at home what is supposed to be avoided. For years I have moved away from Arab and Bedouin Palestinian identity. I would like to speak the language, and I was afraid to approach it. Thank God I am not in this place today.”
Abu Fariha studied architecture, then documentary filmmaking, at the Bezal Academy of Art and Design. She serves as a consultant for the Forward Look Association, which works to identify outstanding young people from geographical and social fringes, and prepare them for higher education in film television and the arts.
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Achievements and Awards
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