Award-winning Palestinian actor Ali Suliman has been barred by Egyptian authorities from entering the country to attend a film festival in which he is a member of the jury, his friends revealed.
The El Gouna film festival, held in the Red Sea resort town of the same name, kicked off on Thursday and will run until 28 September. It is sponsored by Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris.
According to Ola Al-Sheikh, a Palestinian film critic, Suliman was deported from an Egyptian airport on Wednesday as he flew to Egypt to participate at the Gouna festival as a member of the long feature films jury. Al-Sheikh said Suliman told her that Egyptian airport security “dealt with him as a threat, isolated him and escorted him back to the plane as a criminal.”
They did not provide any explanation, even though he had a valid visa. Suliman holds an Israeli passport. Suliman’s deportation has prompted a solidarity campaign with him by fellow Palestinian actors and filmmakers.
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