Elia Suleiman’s meditations on Palestinian identity, spanning four feature films and several shorts, have made him one of the most important voices in contemporary cinema. Suleiman is perhaps foremost among Palestinian directors who have achieved international critical acclaim, and his poetic evocations of dispossession and displacement have resonated with audiences all over the world. This book is the first comprehensive account of Suleiman’s career, from his early days in the downtown art scene of 1980s New York to his most recent film, It Must Be Heaven.

Kamran Rastegar provides close readings of each of Suleiman’s films, with a focus on the director’s explorations of Palestinian identity. Ranging from the quotidian to the overtly political—often in the same scene—Suleiman’s deadpan depictions of Palestinian life are both formally innovative and politically resonant. Rastegar examines key elements that recur across Suleiman’s films, such as his minimalist approach to dialogue and the director’s self-insertion as the character ES, his alter ego, showing how these devices shed light on the Palestinian predicament.

This book features an extensive interview with Suleiman in which he reflects on his films, recounts the difficulties he has faced as a Palestinian artist, and discusses his philosophy of writing.