Basil Khalil

Academy Award & Palme d'Or nominated writer and director Basil Khalil was born and raised in Nazareth, to a Palestinian father and British-Irish mother. After studying for an MA at Screen Academy Scotland, in Edinburgh, Basil worked on a number of television productions in London. In 2011 Basil was featured by Screen International Magazine as one of "top 10 Arab filmmakers to watch". Basil's short film Ave Maria (2015) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in official selection and was described by the New York Times as; "The Middle Eastern answer to 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'." Basil is a member of AMPAS and sits on committees that nominate short films and feature animation for the Oscars.