Bio
Leila Sansour is an acclaimed film maker with an unconventional portfolio. She is the founder and CEO of Open Bethlehem, an organization that works to promote the city as a doorway and voice for Palestine. She is a well known speaker on issues of the Middle East. She has written articles and given talks at the British parliament, The Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs (UK), The Royal College of Defense, The Carter Center and many other venues.
Leila’s latest film 'Open Bethlehem' 90min, was released last year in UK cinemas to a very high critical acclaim. The film was shot over ten years in Bethlehem during the building of the Israeli wall and has resulted in the gathering of the largest visual archive of the city both past and present.
Leila holds a masters degree in philosophy. She began her career in television as a producer on Aljazeera’s leading documentary series “Encounter in Exile” and still works as a freelance producer with ITN news. She is also known for her feature‐length documentary, 'Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army' 2003, a tragicomic film shot during the siege of the Nativity church in Bethlehem in 2002 with celebrated British comedian Jeremy Hardy.