Elia Suleiman ( ar, إيليا سليمان, ; born 28 July 1960) is a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

film director and actor of

Rûm Rūm ( ar, روم , collective; singulative: Rūmī ; plural: Arwām ; fa, روم Rum or Rumiyān, singular Rumi; tr, Rûm or , singular ), also romanized as ''Roum'', is a derivative of the Aramaic (''rhπmÈ'') and Parthian (''frwm'') ...

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

origin. He is best known for the 2002 film ''

Divine Intervention Divine intervention is an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or a god) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. In contrast to other kinds of divine action, the expression "divine ''intervention''" implies that ...

'' ( ar, يد إلهية), a modern tragic comedy on living under occupation in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

which won the

Jury Prize A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England duri ...

at the 2002

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. Elia Suleiman's cinematic style is often compared to that of

Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, film-maker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted the 46th greatest of all time ...

and

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, for its poetic interplay between "burlesque and sobriety". He is married to Lebanese singer and actress

Yasmine Hamdan Yasmine Hamdan ( ar, ياسمين حمدان; born 1976) is a Lebanese singer and songwriter, now based in Paris. Biography Hamdan became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan (no relation) while she was still living in B ...

Life and career

Early work

Between 1982–1993, Suleiman lived in New York City, where he co-directed: '' Introduction to the End of an Argument'' (1990) and directed ''Homage by Assassination'', that both won numerous awards. An experimental video film, co-directed by Jayce Salloum, ''Introduction to the End of an Argument'' critiqued the portrayal of Arabs in Western media and its effect on foreign policy by juxtaposing clips from Hollywood films, television broadcasts and cartoons with live scenes (shot by Salloum) from the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. ''Homage by Assassination'' is a "diary film" that critiques the 1991 Gulf War via the juxtaposition of multilayered personal anecdotes and identity. The film offers a lucid portrait of what

Ella Shohat Ella Shohat (Hebrew: אלה חביבה שוחט; Arabic: إيلا حبيبة شوحيط) is a professor of cultural studies at New York University, where she teaches in the departments of Art & Public Policy and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies. ...

and Robert Stam have termed "cultural disembodiment," manifested in "multiple failures of communication," that reflect the contradictions of a "

diasporic A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

subject."

Pedagogical work

In 1994, Suleiman moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and began teaching at Birzeit University in the West Bank. He was entrusted with the task of developing a Film and Media Department at the university with funding support from the European Commission. In 2008 Elia Suleiman became a professor at the

European Graduate School The European Graduate School (EGS) is a private graduate school that operates in two locations: Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and Valletta, Malta. History It was founded in 1994 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland by the Swiss scientist, artist, and therapist, P ...

Saas-Fee Saas-Fee () is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The village is situated on a high mountain plateau at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet), surrounded ...

. He continues to guest lecture in other universities around the world.

Feature films

In 1996, Suleiman directed ''

Chronicle of a Disappearance ''Chronicle of a Disappearance'' (Arabic: ''سجل اختفاء'')

'', his first feature film. It won the Best First Film Prize at the 1996

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

. In 2002, Suleiman's second feature film, ''

'', subtitled, ''A Chronicle of Love and Pain'', won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and the International Critics Prize (

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

), also receiving the Best Foreign Film Prize at the European Awards in Rome. The third film in his trilogy is called ''

The Time That Remains ''The Time That Remains'' is a 2009 semi-biographical drama film written and directed by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. The film stars Ali Suliman, Elia Suleiman, Saleh Bakri and Samar Qudha Tanus. It gives an account of the creation of the ...

'', which competed in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Suleiman won the Black Pearl prize for best Middle Eastern narrative film at the Middle Eastern Film Festival in Abu Dhabi on 17 October 2009. The film won the Critics' Prize from the Argentinean Film Critics Association at Mar del Plata International Film Festival. His latest film, ''

It Must Be Heaven ''It Must Be Heaven'' is a 2019 internationally co-produced comedy film directed by, written by, and starring, Elia Suleiman. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Palestinian ent ...

'', competed in the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and had its North American premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

Other film work

In his 1998 film, ''The Arab Dream'' ("Al Hilm Al-Arabi") Suleiman autobiographically explores issues of identity, expressing that: "I don't have a homeland to say I live in exile... I live in postmortem... daily life, daily death." Suleiman also produced a short film in 1997, entitled ''War and Peace in Vesoul''. In 2000, Suleiman released the 15-minute short film "Cyber Palestine" which follows a modern-day

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

as they attempt to cross from Gaza into Bethlehem. Suleiman was part of the nine person jury for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Filmography

Feature films

*''

Chronicle of a Disappearance ''Chronicle of a Disappearance'' (Arabic: ''سجل اختفاء'')

'' (1996) *''

'' (2002) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2019)

Short films

*"Homage by Assassination" (1993), ''The Gulf War... What Next?'' *"The Arab Dream" (1998) *"Cyber Palestine" (2000) *"Awkward" (2007), ''

To Each His Own Cinema ''To Each His Own Cinema'' (french: link=no, Chacun son cinéma : une déclaration d'amour au grand écran) is a 2007 French comedy-drama anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of ...

'' *"Diary of a Beginner" (2012), '' 7 Days in Havana''