Ghina Daou: Bérénice Reborn in the Arab World
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Ghina Daou is a Franco-Lebanese actress, filmmaker, and screenwriter whose work seamlessly bridges classical theater, auteur cinema, and personal storytelling. Born in 1989 in Kfarchima, Lebanon, she earned a Bachelor in Performing Arts from the Institute of Theater, Audiovisual and Cinematic Studies (IESAV) from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut in 2014, followed by a Master’s in Directing and Filmmaking from Paris 8 University.
She gained critical acclaim for her bold, contemporary take on Bérénice by Racine, reimagined in a bilingual production directed by Marie Benati. Portraying the powerful queen of Palestine, Daou performs in both French alexandrines and Modern Standard Arabic. Her interpretation reframes the classic through an Arabophone lens, exploring identity, language, and the balance between power and personal truth. The play has toured in Paris, Sarcelles, and Marseille, with a performance scheduled for the 2025 Avignon Festival. Daou also hopes to stage it amid the Roman ruins of Baalbek, symbolically reconnecting the character to her imagined homeland.
Daou is currently collaborating with producer Marine Vaillant on a documentary that traces her artistic and personal journey between Beirut and Paris. Inspired by Bérénice, the film reflects on exile, womanhood, and the challenge of balancing authenticity with external pressures.
Her multidisciplinary background spans directing, producing, translating, and acting. She wrote, directed, and starred in the short film As We Go (2017), and in 2022, earned critical praise for her role in Wissam Charaf’s Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, a project that reignited her passion for acting.
Daou continues to refine her skills through specialized training in the Meisner technique with Tom Radcliff (Actors East, London) and Steven Ditmyer (Meisner International), along with workshops in on-camera acting and improvisation with Michel Jabre and Morgane Gauvin.
Through her art, Ghina Daou leads a new generation that bridges identity, poetry, and politics with fearless creativity.
