Leila Sansour (Arabic: ليلى صنصور‎, is the founder and
Chief Executive Officer of Open Bethlehem, a non-governmental
foundation established to promote and protect the life and heritage of
the city of Bethlehem. Sansour developed the Bethlehem Passport in
partnership with the city council and governor of Bethlehem. Pope
Benedict XVI became the first recipient of the Bethlehem passport when
he accepted the citizenship of Bethlehem from Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas in December 2005.Sansour is from an old Palestinian
Roman Catholic family. She was born in Moscow, February 16, 1966, when
her father, Anton, was teaching mathematics at Moscow State
University. Leila Sansour and her family moved to the city of
Bethlehem in 1973. Anton Sansour became one of the founders of the
Bethlehem University, previously a Roman Catholic seminary.Sansour is
a film director who produced the film Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli
Army [2003], following the British comedian Jeremy Hardy and his
travails during the siege of Bethlehem in 2002. She began her film
work in television and produced the series Cultural Portraits for Al
Jazeera, featuring profiles of prominent Arabs who had made a
significant world contribution in the arts, science or
politics.Sansour studied at the Sorbonne, Moscow State University and
the University of Warwick. Her most recent work is the film and
awareness campaign Open Bethlehem. The film has screened in festivals
in the U.K., and toured Canada in September 2016, screening in
Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. OPEN BETHLEHEM is an
international campaign that works to promote global engagement with
Bethlehem as a real and contemporary city in the Middle East. It does
so by supporting the distribution of communication tools about
Bethlehem to boost international interest and awareness and by
promoting visits to Bethlehem through established and specialized tour
operators. The campaign also works to develop a network of passionate
ambassadors for the city through the Bethlehem Passport Program.
Chief Executive Officer of Open Bethlehem, a non-governmental
foundation established to promote and protect the life and heritage of
the city of Bethlehem. Sansour developed the Bethlehem Passport in
partnership with the city council and governor of Bethlehem. Pope
Benedict XVI became the first recipient of the Bethlehem passport when
he accepted the citizenship of Bethlehem from Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas in December 2005.Sansour is from an old Palestinian
Roman Catholic family. She was born in Moscow, February 16, 1966, when
her father, Anton, was teaching mathematics at Moscow State
University. Leila Sansour and her family moved to the city of
Bethlehem in 1973. Anton Sansour became one of the founders of the
Bethlehem University, previously a Roman Catholic seminary.Sansour is
a film director who produced the film Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli
Army [2003], following the British comedian Jeremy Hardy and his
travails during the siege of Bethlehem in 2002. She began her film
work in television and produced the series Cultural Portraits for Al
Jazeera, featuring profiles of prominent Arabs who had made a
significant world contribution in the arts, science or
politics.Sansour studied at the Sorbonne, Moscow State University and
the University of Warwick. Her most recent work is the film and
awareness campaign Open Bethlehem. The film has screened in festivals
in the U.K., and toured Canada in September 2016, screening in
Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. OPEN BETHLEHEM is an
international campaign that works to promote global engagement with
Bethlehem as a real and contemporary city in the Middle East. It does
so by supporting the distribution of communication tools about
Bethlehem to boost international interest and awareness and by
promoting visits to Bethlehem through established and specialized tour
operators. The campaign also works to develop a network of passionate
ambassadors for the city through the Bethlehem Passport Program.
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