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Helen Al-Janabi

Helen Al-Janabi is an Arabic-speaking actress and theatre director now living and working in Europe. Born and raised in Damascus to a Syrian-Iraqi family, she received her education at the Syrian Academy of Theater from 2001 to 2005 s an actor.

After moving to Sweden in 2009, Helen pursued her passion for acting and the performing arts. In 2015-2016, she had the opportunity to work for Malmö City Theatre and also pursued studies in theatre directing. She participated in the Sundance Institute theatre lab for theatre workers from the Middle East in 2016.

One of Helen's accomplishments in Sweden was the founding of Arabiska Teatern in 2016, the only Arabic-speaking theatre group in Sweden—one of few in Europe. Arabiska Teatern produced six theatre plays, readings, puppet theatre, theatre courses and short movies. Arabiska Teatern made two plays which were also filmed and one of them, “Northern Lights”, also got Arabic TV distribution.

In 2022, Helen wrote and directed the play "Survivors", about The Holocaust, which she touring in  Arabic during 2023-24.

She earned the UNESCO – Sharjah Prize for Arabic Culture in 2022.

As an actress, Helen has appeared in various TV and film productions. Her TV and film work includes "Halva Halva," "Breakthrough," "Top Dog," "Bullets," "A Class Apart," and "Beartown".

Selected theater, TV and film work

TV and film - actor

•       Halva Halva / Half Half (2024). Director: Julia Lindström,  Alexander Abdullah, Mustafa Al-Mashhadani. TV series, Viaplay. Lead. Shooting June-August 2023.

Breakthrough / Genombrottet (2023). Director: Lisa Wise. Actor. TV series. FLX.

•       Top Dog (2023). Director: Henrik Zammel. Actor. Feature film. Filmlance.

•       Bullets (2023). Director: Peter Pontikis. Actor. Feature film. Thin Skin films.

•       A Class Apart / Störst av allt (2021), Actor. TV series, Netflix.

•       Beartown / Björnstad (2020). Director: Actor. TV series, HBO Nordic.

•       Arabic Home (2007). Director: Sulafa Hijazi. TV series for children in thirty parts, all the episodes. Produced and distributed by Al-Jazeera Children Channel.

•       This is the World (2007). Director: Alaa Arabi Katbe. Thirty-part TV drama.

•       Al-Ejtiyah (2007). Emmy Award-winning TV production. Director: Shawqi Almajery.

Theatre

•       Maktens diskreta charm (2023) by Mohammad Al Attar at Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden, actor.

•       Survivors (2022) by Waessem Alsharqi and Helen Al-Janabi. Director and actor: Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Miss Julie by August Strindberg (2022). Theatrical reading. Director: Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Heroines by Waessem Alsharqi (2021). Director: Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       A Dream Play (2021). Theatrical reading at the Royal Dramatic Theater. Director: Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Midnight Sun by Waessem Alsharqi (2019). Director: Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Don Quijote (2019) by Wael Kadour. Director: Isa Aouifia, Helen Al-Janabi, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Northern Lights (2018) by Mudar Alhaggi. Director: Mansour Salti. Actor, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Five films on Agenda 2030 (2017) by Wael Kadour. Actor. Director: Ibrahim Muhanna, Arabiska Teatern.

•       Movements (2017) by Tilde Björfors and Alexandra Loonin. Actor. Director: Tilde Björfors, Cirkus Cirkör

•       The Little Prince (2016-2017) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Director: Helen Al-Janabi & Mohammad Beni Hani, Arabiska Teatern

•       I Came to See You (2015-2016) by Karim Rashed. Directed by: Petra Brylander & Robert Jelinek, Malmö Stadsteater / Riksteatern

•       Participated, initiated and produced Three Fairy Tales in Arabic (2011-2012).

•       Hearts (2008). Director: Hakim Marzougui. Actor. Theater Al-Qabani.

•       View the planet of Health (2008). Director: Samer Zarka. Actress in the youth play.

•       Play AB- (My Father) (2005-2007) tour in Syria & Damascus at The Opera House. Director: Fayez Kazak.

https://helenaljanabicom.wordpress.com