DEARBORN – Darine Hamze prefers to direct her acting skills toward diverse and daring roles. She rose to stardom and was recognized as a multi-talented artist within a short period of time.

Her roles range from Batoul, a conservative, resistant girl in an Israeli-occupied south Lebanon in the television series Al-Ghaliboon (the victors), to Zoha, a liberated, reckless, urban woman, who cheats on her husband in Beirut Hotel. She has worked within the Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian and Lebanese television and cinema industries.

Hamze was in Dearborn last week for the premiere of her new movie Betroit, a social drama that was in part filmed in Detroit and addresses domestic violence, directed by Adel Serhan.

Hamze says that she was enthused when Serhan offered her a role in the movie, which premiered on Thursday, June 27, at the Fordson High School auditorium, because the movie has a humanitarian message.

Darine Hamze.

“I received messages on Facebook from abused women who saw the movie and are now seeking help. The movie does make a difference. People can be more sympathetic to this issue after watching the movie,” she explained. “Personally, I have become more active against domestic violence because of the movie.”

While Al-Ghaliboun and Beirut Hotel touched on political issues in Lebanon, a politically polarized country, Hamze says that she does not promote any political ideologies in her acting.

On the diversity of her roles, Hamze told The Arab American News, “As a professional actress, I take on different roles. I have depicted an Israeli spy, a saint-like girl, a cheating wife in different works and, in Betroit, I play the oppressed woman who gets beat every day. These conflicting roles add to my professionalism.  I don’t adopt the views of the personalities I play. I present stories from society through my roles, so as to get across existing ideas that I do not necessarily embrace.”

Hamze has starred in a number of popular Lebanese movies and television series, like Ghazel Al-Banat (Cotton Candy) and Ayda’s Story. She said Lebanon is a small country with a good number of shows and movies, where the profession of acting is improving.

“In Lebanon, we have creative acting and directing skills,” she added.

Beirut Hotel, which was released in 2012, was banned in Lebanon, after its director, Danielle Arbid, refused to edit out scenes that dealt with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The ban resulted in rumors about the movie being kept out of the country’s theaters because of intimate scenes that Hamze starred in.

Hamze did not seem overly concerned with the ban, which, she said, gave the movie more publicity and popularity. She says that she is realistic and understands that the movie addresses sensitive political issues. However, she adds that it was surprising that Beirut Hotel was featured in the Dubai Film Festival, but not shown in Lebanon, a country known for its political and cultural freedoms.

She voiced her principled objection to all sorts of censorship, adding that it holds back cinema and art in general. To make her point, she quoted French philosopher Voltair: “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend, to the death, your right to say it.”

“Arabs have double standards and are not comfortable with themselves,” commented Hamze. “Cinema is a mirror to society. We do not tell the stories of aliens from space. We portray the truth of society, which has flaws.”

Hamze has also worked with Fairuz, the most celebrated Lebanese singer in history, in Sah Al-Nom, her last play, performed at Baalbeck’s Roman temples. She said that working with the legendary singer was a “gift” to her career.

The Lebanese actress has acted in several Iranian movies as well, including the Book of Law, a profound feature film, which she co-starred in, alongside Iranian superstar Parviz Parastui.

She says that cinema is like a universal language that unites all people.

“When I took my chance within Iranian cinema, people warned me against it. But to the contrary, Iranian cinema is technically strong and has a presence on the international stage. My ambition is to work with the best directors,” she said.

Syria, Lebanon and Egypt are three countries where Hamze has worked that are facing major political crisis. Hamze says that the acting industry will be affected, on an economic and security level, by the crisis, but added that change creates great art and great ideas.  She hopes that these places will heal from war.

Hamze is not only a talented artist, but quite an intelligent individual. She is well-spoken and cosmopolitan. She received her bachelor’s degree in theater from the Lebanese University and a master’s degree in acting and directing from the University of Westminster in England.  In addition, she has also attended workshops on acting at Columbia University in New York. With regard to her education, she explains that knowledge nurtures her talent.

Despite her work on television and on stage, she says that cinema is her passion, because she can express herself better on the big screen.