Elia Suleiman (Arabic: إيليا سليمان, IPA: [ˈʔiːlja sʊleːˈmaːn]; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor.
Between 1982 and 1993, Suleiman lived in New York City, where he co-directed Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990) and directed Homage by Assassination, both winning numerous awards.
[citation needed] 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.
The film offers a lucid portrait of what Ella Shohat and Robert Stam have termed "cultural disembodiment," manifested in "multiple failures of communication," that reflect the contradictions of a "diasporic subject.
[11] 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...
This can be seen through instances such as Santa Claus being stabbed by a gang of children (Divine Intervention) and a salesclerk selling "holy water," which is later revealed to be coming from the tap (Chronicles of a Disappearance).
Suleiman admits to using humor as a defense mechanism, stating in an interview that "When you make an audience laugh, you actually open their eyes to the issue on the screen.