DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid this week took to Instagram Stories to spotlight some of the Arab world’s on-screen talents.
The catwalk star republished a post shared on the non-profit advocacy organization Institute for Middle East Understanding’s account that shines light on Palestinian creatives that have been making headlines internationally, including Josie Totah, Michael Karim Malarkey and May Calamawy.
Totah, a Palestinian Lebanese talent who has been nominated for the Critics Choice Awards in the past, is taking a lead role in Apple TV+’s upcoming drama series “The Buccaneers.”
It is an eight-episode series inspired by the unfinished novel “The Buccaneers” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton.
Hadid’s post also paid tribute to Malarkey, who plays Enzo in the hit series “The Vampire Diaries.”
Born in Beirut, the Palestinian actor and musician also stars in season 4 of HBO’s “Westworld” that premiered this week. He features alongside a star-studded, award-winning cast including Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton and Jeffrey Wright.
Among the stars that Hadid told fans to look out for are Palestinian actresses Leem Lubany and Hiam Abbass.
Lubany is famous for her role in the 2013 film “Omar,” and Abbass, a European Film Award nominee, stars in Hulu’s thriller “The Old Man” that premiered on June 16.
The series, in its second season, is based on the award-winning novel with the same name by US novelist Thomas Perry.
Another leading Arab star lauded by Hadid is Calamawy, the Egyptian-Palestinian actress who recently starred alongside Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke in Marvel’s miniseries “Moon Knight.”
Calamawy, who is best known for her role in the Golden Globe-winning sitcom “Ramy,” is one of the show’s leads, Layla El-Faouly.
Hadid has always been vocal about her support for Palestine and its creatives.
She uses her social media accounts to show her support for the diaspora and to raise awareness about military violence toward Palestinians.
Last year, she joined demonstrations in New York to protest Israeli attacks on Palestinians living in Gaza.
She frequently calls out Instagram for “shadow banning” her Palestine-related posts. “Are we not allowed to be Palestinian on Instagram? This, to me, is bullying,” she previously wrote on Instagram. “I am proud to be Palestinian.”
