Maha Haj is a filmmaker with a diverse background in English and Arabic literature. A graduate of the esteemed Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she weaves her profound understanding of storytelling into each frame. Her artistic journey has been marked by notable collaborations, including her work as a set designer on renowned productions such as THE ATTACK by Ziad Douairi and Elia Suleiman’s THE TIME THAT REMAINS and IT MUST BE HEAVEN.

Haj’s directorial debut came in 2009 with the short film ORANGES — which won an Audience Award at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival — followed by the poignant documentary BEHIND THESE WALLS in 2010.

Her first foray into feature filmmaking came in 2016 with PERSONAL AFFAIRS — a critically acclaimed work that was selected for Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard in the 2016 edition of the Cannes Film Festival and won the Archie Award for Best First Feature at Philadelphia Film Festival and the Critics’Award at Montpellier.

Her last film, MEDITERRANEAN FEVER, also premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard, where it won Best Screenplay, before going on an extended festival tour that included the likes of the Rotterdam, Palm Springs, Chicago, Vancouver and Melbourne international film festivals. Moreover, it won the Student Jury Prize at Tokyo FILMex and a Golden Firebird for Young Cinema at the Hong Kong Film Festival.

CAST & CREW