Elia Suleiman facts for kids

Elia Suleiman (Arabic: إيليا سليمان, IPA: [ˈʔiːlja sʊleːˈmaːn]; born on July 28, 1960) is a famous Palestinian film director and actor. He is well-known for his 2002 movie Divine Intervention (Arabic: يد إلهية). This film is a modern story that mixes sad and funny moments about life in Palestine. It won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. People often compare Suleiman's movie style to directors like Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton. This is because his films mix funny, playful parts with serious ones. He is married to the Lebanese singer and actress Yasmine Hamdan.

Life and Career

Early Films

Between 1982 and 1993, Elia Suleiman lived in New York City. During this time, he helped direct a film called Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990). He also directed Homage by Assassination. Both of these films won many awards.

Introduction to the End of an Argument was an experimental video film. Suleiman co-directed it with Jayce Salloum. This film looked at how Arab people were shown in Western news and movies. It used clips from Hollywood films and TV shows. It also showed real scenes from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Homage by Assassination was like a "diary film." It explored the 1991 Gulf War. The film shared personal stories and ideas about identity. It showed how people from different places might feel disconnected.

Teaching Film

In 1994, Suleiman moved to Jerusalem. He started teaching at Birzeit University in the West Bank. He was in charge of creating a new Film and Media Department there. The European Commission helped fund this project. In 2008, Elia Suleiman became a professor at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee. He still gives guest lectures at universities around the world.

Main Movies

In 1996, Suleiman directed Chronicle of a Disappearance. This was his first full-length movie. It won the Best First Film Prize at the 1996 Venice Film Festival.

In 2002, his second main movie, Divine Intervention, came out. Its full title was A Chronicle of Love and Pain. This film won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI). Later, it received the Best Foreign Film Prize at the European Awards in Rome.

His third film in a series is called The Time That Remains. This movie was shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Suleiman won the Black Pearl prize for best Middle Eastern film for it. This award was given at the Middle Eastern Film Festival in Abu Dhabi in October 2009. The film also won the Critics' Prize at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival.

His film, It Must Be Heaven, was shown at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was first shown in North America at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

Other Film Projects

In his 1998 film, The Arab Dream ("Al Hilm Al-Arabi"), Suleiman explored his own identity. He once said, "I don't have a homeland to say I live in exile... I live in postmortem... daily life, daily death." Suleiman also made a short film in 1997 called War and Peace in Vesoul.

In 2000, Suleiman released a 15-minute short film called "Cyber Palestine." This film shows a modern-day Mary and Joseph. They try to travel from Gaza to Bethlehem. Suleiman was also one of the nine judges for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Filming Style

Suleiman is often known for using a lot of silence in his movies. This applies to both the acting and his directing. He believes that many Palestinian actors rely too much on overly dramatic expressions. He prefers movements and the "musicality" that comes from how characters appear. Because of this, many of Suleiman's films have quiet performances. Both he and his actors often act without much talking. Some experts think this silence shows the struggles of Palestinians living in occupied areas.

Suleiman's films also use funny, often dark humor. For example, in Divine Intervention, Santa Claus is stabbed by a group of children. In Chronicles of a Disappearance, a salesperson sells "holy water" that turns out to be tap water. Suleiman says he uses humor as a way to cope. He explained in an interview that "When you make an audience laugh, you actually open their eyes to the issue on the screen. Laughter is against despair."

Suleiman's acting style is often compared to Buster Keaton. This is because of his expressive eyes and silent performances. However, Suleiman himself says Keaton did not influence his work. He mentioned that he made films before he ever watched Keaton's movies.

Filmography

Feature Films

• Chronicle of a Disappearance (1996)
• Divine Intervention (2002)
• The Time That Remains (2009)
• It Must Be Heaven (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
• "Diary of a Beginner" (2012), 7 Days in Havana

Documentary Films

• Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990) (Co-directed by Jayce Salloum)

Awards

• 2024: Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award during the Sarajevo Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Elia Suleiman para niños

• Palestinian Christians