Shortlisted Individuals
Reem Kelani, the Palestinian singer and musicologist was born in Manchester, brought up in Kuwait and lives in London. She has led major tours with her band to Syria, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, China, and the US. In 2015, Reem performed as a soloist in Sir Karl Jenkins’ Stabat Mater at the Royal Albert Hall, and in 2014, she performed in the Grieg Hall alongside the Bergen Philharmonic and a 250-strong choir in Orlando Gough’s Stemmer.
An award-winning Palestinian-Irish writer, Hannah's stage plays include critically acclaimed Scenes from 68* Years: “confirms Khalil as a dramatist of compelling potential” – Daily Telegraph (Arcola Theatre, London, 2016), The Worst Cook in the West Bank (Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival), Bitterenders (winner Sandpit Arts’ Bulbul 2013, performed at Golden Thread Theatre's ReOrient Festival in San Francisco, 2015), Plan D (Tristan Bates Theatre, nominated for the Meyer Whitworth Award), Leaving Home (The King's Head) and Ring (Soho Theatre London's Westminster Prize).
Issam comes from a background of fine art, architecture and theatre design. He was born in Syria and trained at the Institute of Fine Arts in Damascus, the Repin Institute of Fine Arts & Architecture in Leningrad (St Petersburg) and at Wimbledon School of Art (London). Since 1990, he has lived and worked in Cambridge, eventually becoming an Artist in Residence at Christ’s College and a Bye-Fellow (2007-2011), where he is now the Lector in Art.
Ahmed Masoud is the author of the debut novel Vanished - The Mysterious Disappearance of Mustafa Ouda. Ahmed is a writer and director who grew up in Palestine and moved to the UK in 2002. His theatre credits include Camouflage (London 2017) The Shroud Maker (London 2015), Walaa, Loyalty (London 2014, funded by Arts Council England), Go to Gaza, Drink the Sea (London and Edinburgh 2009) and Escape from Gaza (BBC Radio 4, 2011)
Elhum is a BAFTA nominated producer and recent recipient of the BFI Vision Award. Her productions have been broadcast internationally and screened at festivals including Berlinale, IDFA and Dubai Film Festival. Credits include award-winning features The Reluctant Revolutionary (Sean McAllister, 2012) and The Runner (Saeed Taji Farouky, 2013); and Cinema for Peace award-winning A Syrian Love Story (Sean McAllister, 2015).
