Maha Haj

Biography

Maha Haj is a Palestinian filmmaker and screenwriter whose understated, finely observed dramas have twice been selected for the official program of the Cannes Film Festival. Born in Nazareth, she studied English and Arabic literature before entering cinema, working initially as an art director and assistant on films including productions by Elia Suleiman, an experience that shaped her precise, deadpan visual sensibility. Her debut feature, "Personal Affairs" (2016), follows an aging Palestinian couple in Nazareth and their dispersed children, weaving together stories across Ramallah, Sweden, and the diaspora. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, a rare distinction for a first-time Palestinian woman director, and was selected as Palestine's submission for the Academy Awards. Haj returned to Cannes with "Mediterranean Fever" (2022), a darkly comic drama about a depressed aspiring writer in Haifa who befriends a small-time criminal neighbor. The film won the Best Screenplay award in the Un Certain Regard section, confirming Haj as one of the most accomplished writers in contemporary Palestinian cinema. Her films are distinguished by dry humor, emotional restraint, and an interest in the quiet interior lives of ordinary Palestinians, exploring depression, family, and the psychic weight of living under occupation without resorting to overt political polemic. Haj has become a prominent figure in Palestinian and Arab cinema, her consecutive Cannes selections marking her as a leading voice among the women redefining Palestinian narrative film.

Why This Person Matters

Haj is a two-time Cannes official selection and Best Screenplay winner whose restrained, darkly comic dramas place her among the leading Palestinian filmmakers of her generation.

Historical Context

Maha Haj was born in Nazareth in 1970 and entered cinema obliquely, working as an art director and assistant, including on the films of Elia Suleiman, whose precise, deadpan sensibility echoes through her own. As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, she renders the psychic weight of living under a divided sovereignty through the quiet interiors of ordinary lives. Her debut 'Personal Affairs' (2016) wove an aging Nazareth couple's story across Ramallah, Sweden, and the diaspora, mapping the dispersal that 1948 and its aftermath scattered across the globe. 'Mediterranean Fever' (2022), set in Haifa, located depression and male malaise inside the very texture of contemporary Palestinian life, registering occupation as something carried inwardly.

Historical Context

1. 1970 — Born in Nazareth, Israel

Selected Works

• Personal Affairs — Interlocking stories of Palestinian families inside Israel — a couple's marital crisis, a son's doomed romance, and a daughter abroad — all mediated through screens and distances. Premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes (2016).

Legacy & Influence

Haj holds a distinguished place among the directors of her generation thanks to two consecutive selections in Cannes' official program: 'Personal Affairs' in Un Certain Regard, a rare honor for a first-time Palestinian woman director, and 'Mediterranean Fever,' which won Best Screenplay in the same section, confirming her standing as one of the finest writers in contemporary Palestinian cinema. Her films are marked by dry humor, emotional restraint, and attention to the interior lives of ordinary Palestinians, expanding what Palestinian cinema can say beyond overt political discourse. Her successive Cannes selections established her as a leading voice among the women redefining Palestinian narrative film.

Topics & Themes

• Post-1967

References & Sources

1. Maha Haj — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Haj
2. Mediterranean Fever - Festival de Cannes — https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/mediterranean-fever