Ossama Bawardi is an independent producer working in Israel and Jordan. Bawardi began his film career in various productions including Paradise Now by Hany Abu Assad, Whispering Embers by Ali Nassar and Salt of this Sea by Annemarie Jacir. Paradise Now was the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Academy Award and Salt of this Seapremiered in Cannes and was the first feature directed by a Palestinian woman. Salt of this Sea not only brought Bawardi and Jacir together but notably also brought together Jacir and actor Saleh Bakri for the first time in Saleh Bakri's first film roles launching what would become a regular and anticipated collaboration. Bawardi produced Jacir's next feature film When I Saw You which won Best Asian Film at the Berlin International Film. The film's production was noted for being entirely Arab financed, becoming amongst the first in the region to rely almost entirely on local private financing. He produced Horizon, In Overtime, and Mare Nostrum. He also directed and produced the short film Haneen. He is the line producer of (No) Laughing Matter, A Stone's Throw from Prison as well as numerous other films both fiction and documentary. In 2010, he officially joined Philistine Films, the production company founded by Annemarie Jacir to support distinctive visions, build a local crew, and which has established itself at the forefront of independent cinema in the region. Bawardi expanded the company to offer production services and coproductions with international producers. Bawardi line produced Amin Matalqa's The Rendezvous starring Stana Katic, Mai Masri's 3,000 Nights and Barbara Eder's Thank you for Bombing. He produced Jacir's Wajib, winner of thirty-six international awards including Best Film in Mar Del Plata, Dubai, Amiens, Washington DC and Kerala. Bawardi is also an executive producer on The Mountain by Faysal Atrash, The Translator by Syrian filmmakers Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, and the highly anticipated Huda's Salon by Hany Abu Assad as well as Kazoz by Amira Diab and A Gaza Weekend by Basil Khalil. Most recently, he produced the Oscar nominated and BAFTA winner film The Present by Farah Nabulsi. Bawardi is a member of the EAVE Producer's Network and the Asia Pacific Screen Academy.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Producer and actor
- 16 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are Ossama Bawardi's films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 14
Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 9
Grounded 12 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 7
A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 9
A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet7
- Ambiguous7
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Ossama Bawardi's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Ossama Bawardi's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
22 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page.

Cotton Queen(2025)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
I Was a Stranger(2024)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
House of Hope(2025)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Palestine 36(2025)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Teacher(2023)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Bye Bye Tiberias (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Alam(2022)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
No Name Restaurant(2022)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Translator(2020)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Huda's Salon(2021)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Present(2020)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
It Must Be Heaven(2019)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Give Up the Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

Wajib (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

The Rendezvous(2016)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
3000 Nights(2015)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
When I Saw You(2012)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Horizon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

Haneen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Be Quiet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Career shape
A full career of 18 titles from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office
I Was a Stranger (2024)

Highest rated
I Was a Stranger (2024)

Most popular right now
Palestine 36 (2025)
Film career
- 2016Screen debut· The Rendezvous
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
1 major award from 2 major nominations, 2018–2021.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Live Action Short Film
- Cannes award, won · Best Film
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Ossama Bawardi's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 16 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Ossama Bawardi's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Ossama Bawardi work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ossama Bawardi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; May Jabareen shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Annemarie JacirShared titles: Cotton Queen (2025), Palestine 36 (2025), The Present (2020), The Rendezvous (2016), 3000 Nights (2015), When I Saw You (2012)See all 6 shared titles with Annemarie Jacir

- Farah NabulsiShared titles: The Teacher (2023), The Present (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Farah Nabulsi

- Hany Abu-AssadShared titles: Love, Life & Everything in Between (2022), Huda's Salon (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Hany Abu-Assad

Actors
- Saleh BakriShared titles: Palestine 36 (2025), I Was a Stranger (2024), The Teacher (2023), The Present (2020), When I Saw You (2012)See all 5 shared titles with Saleh Bakri

- Kamel El BashaShared titles: Palestine 36 (2025), Huda's Salon (2021), The Translator (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Kamel El Basha

- Yasmine Al MassriShared titles: Palestine 36 (2025), I Was a Stranger (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Yasmine Al Massri

- Ziad BakriShared titles: I Was a Stranger (2024), The Translator (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Ziad Bakri

Composers and cinematographers
- Amine BouhafaShared titles: Cotton Queen (2025), Love, Life & Everything in Between (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Amine Bouhafa

- Frida MarzoukShared titles: Cotton Queen (2025), Alam (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Frida Marzouk
- Hélène LouvartShared titles: Palestine 36 (2025), When I Saw You (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Hélène Louvart

- Gilles PorteShared titles: The Teacher (2023), 3000 Nights (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Gilles Porte

Producers
- May JabareenShared titles: House of Hope (2025), I Was a Stranger (2024), Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey Into the Desert (2023), The Teacher (2023), Alam (2022), Love, Life & Everything in Between (2022), No Name Restaurant (2022)See all 7 shared titles with May Jabareen
- Sawsan AsfariShared titles: The Teacher (2023), Huda's Salon (2021), The Translator (2020), When I Saw You (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Sawsan Asfari
- Ibraheem ShaheenShared titles: Palestine 36 (2025), I Was a Stranger (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Ibraheem Shaheen
- Rami YasinShared titles: 3000 Nights (2015), When I Saw You (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Rami Yasin

Mixed roles
- Amira DiabShared titles: Love, Life & Everything in Between (2022), Huda's Salon (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Amira Diab


