Elia Suleiman (born in Nazareth) is a celebrated filmmaker who won numerous prizes since the beginning of his career, starting with his two first short films, INTRODUCTION TO THE END OF AN ARGUMENT and HOMAGE BY ASSASSINATION. In 1994, he established the Cinema and Media department at Birzeit University under the European Commission. His feature debut, CHRONICLE OF A DISAPPEARANCE, was awarded Best Film at the 1996 Venice Film Festival. In 2002, DIVINE INTERVENTION won the Jury Prize at Cannes and Best Foreign Film in Rome’s European Awards, and THE TIME THAT REMAINS screened In Competition at Cannes. In 2012, he directed the short film DIARY OF A BEGINNER, part of the portmanteau feature 7 DAYS IN HAVANA, which screened in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. His latest film, IT MUST BE HEAVEN, received a Special Mention and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film In Competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.