Fatina Laila

Fatina Laila is a Syrian actress born in Hama in 1983. She graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts at the University of Damascus in 2009, where she developed her artistic practice through classical and contemporary theatre.

During her studies, she performed in several significant theatrical productions, including The Long Christmas Dinner, The House of Bernarda Alba, and Six Characters in Search of an Author. Between 2008 and 2012, she appeared in numerous television productions in Syria and the United Arab Emirates, while also expanding her work into cinema. She collaborated with director Mohammed Abdulaziz on the film Damascus with Love (2010), and later with director Rifki Assaf on The Curve (2013).

Her artistic journey has been strongly connected to contemporary Syrian theatre and international collaborations. In 2012, she took part in a staged reading by playwright Mohammad Al Attar and director Omar Abu Saada, presented at Meeting Points in Beirut and later in several European cities, including Berlin and Athens.

In 2014, she collaborated with artists Mey Seifan and Ziad Adwan on Destruction for Beginners 2, presented at the RODEO Festival and i-camp/Neues Theater München. In 2016, she reunited with Mohammad Al Attar and Omar Abu Saada for the internationally touring production While I Was Waiting, which was presented across Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Belgium.

Between 2020 and 2022, Fatina collaborated with Barzakh Productions, participating in various staged readings of contemporary Syrian plays. She also worked with Mey Seifan on the performance Reality Check, and participated in Ulrich Becker’s productions Visa Pizza and A Pledge to the Queen.

Alongside her theatre work, Fatina has appeared in several Syrian short films. Her artistic practice explores themes of displacement, memory, identity, and human experience, moving between theatre, cinema, and performance.