An
award-winning Israeli Arab singer, songwriter and actress, Mira Awad
makes crossing the cultural divide look almost as easy as singing her
way through a classical Middle Eastern ballad. In 2009, she represented
Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest together with the Jewish Israeli
singer Achinoam Nini, who is known outside of Israel as Noa.
In her
latest big-screen role, Awad stars in the new film “Farewell Baghdad” –
based on the book “The Dove Flyer” (“Mafriah Hayonim”) by Eli Amir –
playing the part of Salima Pasha Murad, a legendary 20th-century Arab
singer. Awad, 38, was born in the Galilee village of Rama to an
Arab-Christian father and a Bulgarian-Christian mother.
Known as a world
music artist, she studied at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary
Music in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Hasharon. She is also a longtime
social and political activist, with special interest in promoting
women’s rights, coexistence, equal rights for Israel’s Arab citizens and
environmental awareness.
