Lubna Azabal

Lubna Azabal is a Belgian actress. She is known for her performances in Paradise Now and Incendies.

Biography Lubna Azabal was born in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother. She is studying at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

Career Azabal began a theatrical career in Belgium. In 1997, she took her first film role when Belgian film-maker Vincent Lannoo chose her to act beside Olivier Gourmet in his short film J'adore le cinéma. She performs in English, French and Arabic.

Her most widely known film role is in the 2005 political thriller, Paradise Now. She appears in a smaller role in Ridley Scott's Body of Lies. She has a lead part alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal in Hugo Blick's 2014 BBC TV miniseries The Honourable Woman.

She starred opposite Ben Foster in the independent film Here (2011).

In 2018, Azabal appeared as Susannah in Helen Edmundson's film Mary Magdalene. Awards Azabal won the Black Pearl Award 2010 (Abu Dhabi Film Festival) for Best Actress for her role in the film Incendies. She also won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the 31st Genie Awards and the Magritte Award for Best Actress at the 2nd Magritte Awards.

Selected filmography

Pure Fiction (1998) Les Siestes grenadine (1999) - Mabrouka Loin (2001) - Sarah Almost Peaceful (2002) - Jacqueline Aram (2002) - Méliné Une minute de soleil en moins (2002, TV Movie) - Touria 25 degrés en hiver (2004) - Loubna Viva Laldjérie (2004) - Goucem Exils (2004) - Naima Changing Times (Les temps qui changent) (2004) - Nadia / Aïcha Paradise Now (2005) - Suha Strangers (2007) - Rana Sweid 24 mesures (2007) - Helly Body of Lies (2008) - Aisha's Sister Cala Occupation (2009, TV mini-series) - Aliya Nabil Gamines (2009) - Angela Di Biaggio Une chaîne pour deux (2009) - Corinne Comme les cinq doigts de la main (2010) - Amel Zeroual Incendies (2010) - Nawal Marwan I Am Slave (2010) Captifs (2010) Here (2011) - Gadarine Nazarian Coriolanus (2011) - First Citizen (Tamora) Lipstikka (2011) Free Men (2011) - Leila Headwinds (2011) - La mère de Yamine Goodbye Morocco (2012) - Dounia Rock the Casbah (2013) - Kenza The Marchers (2013) - Kheira The Honourable Woman (2014, TV mini-series) - Atika Halabi Grain (2015) Ustica: The Missing Paper (2016) - Valja Bogdani The Frozen Dead (2016-2017, TV Series) - Elisabeth Ferney Light Thereafter (2017) - Soumaya Lola Pater (2017) - Malika, Zino's mother Grain (2017) - Beatrice Catch the Wind (2017) - Nadia Above the Law (2017) - Lucie Tesla Mary Magdalene (2018) - Susannah A Bluebird in My Heart (2018) - Nadia Sofia (2018) - Leila Tel Aviv on Fire (2018) - Tala / Manal aka Rachel Hellhole (2019) - Samira Adam (2019) - Abla The Blue Caftan (2022) - Mina El Houb (The Love) (2022) - Fatima Zahwani For My Country (2022) - Nadia Amal (2023) - Amal Maldoror (2024) - Mrs. Santos Somewhere In Love (2024) Rabia (2024) - Madame Hot Water (2026) - Layla

Selected stage appearances Doña Rosita la soltera by Federico García Lorca (1999) L’Horloge et le désert by Ghassan Kanafani (2000) Une nuit arabe by Roland Schimmelpfenning (2002) Le Tampon vert by Aziz Chouaki (2003) L’Île aux esclaves by Marivaux (2006)

Awards Winner: 2023 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival - Best Actress for Amal Nominated: 2022 Magritte Award - Best Actress for Adam Nominated: 2020 Magritte Award - Best Actress for Tel Aviv on Fire Winner: 2019 Magritte Award - Best Actress for Above the Law Winner: 2015 Magritte Award - Best Supporting Actress for The Marchers Nominated: 2014 Magritte Award - Best Actress for Goodbye Marocco Winner: 2012 Magritte Award - Best Actress for Incendies Winner: 2011 31st Genie Awards - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Incendies Winner: 2011 Jutra Award - Best Actress for Incendies Winner: 2011 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Canadian Film for Incendies Winner: 2007 Jerusalem Film Festival - Most Promising Actress for Strangers