I do not teach history in my films. I don't have a linear point of view or argument. What I do in my films is to live the human experience; human, whether in Nazareth or anywhere else in the world. Elia Suleiman More Quotes by Elia Suleiman More Quotes From Elia Suleiman Palestine is an extremely familiar place to me. Someone like me who lives everywhere in the world cannot be contained. If my hope and ambitions are in the right place, you can judge that in my films. I want to make films that diffuse any local notion. Cinema criss-crosses borders and check points. If the film is good, then it's universal. Elia Suleiman borders ambition judging If a person just takes what is socio-political and geographical from the themes of my films then that's not enough. But if the person goes out of the theatre and, for example, makes the dinner he's eating later on, extra nice then I feel that I have succeeded. We have this urge to anaesthetize the moment we're living in. Elia Suleiman theatre political nice The problem is that when you grow absolutely certain that all authorities are corrupt, then that would include the Palestinian authorities as well. Elia Suleiman certain problem authority I don't particularly have a good memory. I think history is many times just the text written by the victors. I wanted to counter that aspect. Elia Suleiman aspect memories thinking It's crucial to choose your work place - some places lend themselves to you and others don't. Elia Suleiman work-place crucial Israel, the Israelis, and the rest of the world have been brainwashed. They don't think of pre-1948, they have no idea Palestinians were in Israel, who we were before '48. As if we were born in 1948 according to them. They have no notion that we had a country, houses, rebelled against the Ottomans and the British. They think history in that region started in that moment. Elia Suleiman israel country thinking The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from a desire to compose an image for cinema. It is not my fault that when I go to Ramallah there is a checkpoint and therefore it enters my film. Tell me a way to avoid that politicized image. The fact is that the police are everywhere, the army everywhere and occupation is total. Whether it's a love story or a thriller, you place the camera and these realities will cross the frame. Elia Suleiman army humorous art I am more at peace than I've ever known myself to be. My connectedness to the world is more intense. I am more attentive to the humanity around me. Elia Suleiman intense humanity world It's important for me to not historicize. I work to diffuse the issue of identity and to intensify identification. You have to lose your authority in the making of a film to achieve this. The film is about me being absolutely dislocated. I focus on the very personal to arrive at the very political. Elia Suleiman issues political focus