Elia Suleiman (Arabic: إيليا سليمان, IPA: [ˈʔiːlja sʊleːˈmaːn]; born 28 July 1960; Nazareth) is a Palestinian film director and actor. He is best known for the 2002 film Divine Intervention (Arabic: يد إلهية), a modern tragicomedy on living under occupation in Palestine which won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Suleiman's cinematic style is often compared to that of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton, for its poetic interplay between "burlesque and sobriety". He is married to Lebanese singer and actress Yasmine Hamdan.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 28, 1960 (66)
- Nazareth, Israel
- Director, actor, writer and producer
- 7 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
What are Elia Suleiman's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 3
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 3
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
A split, not a type: Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.
- Heroas E.S. in Divine Intervention (2002)
- Allyas ES in The Time That Remains (2009)
- Heroas ES in It Must Be Heaven (2019)
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Elia Suleiman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Elia Suleiman's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
And Then They Burn the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
It Must Be Heaven(2019)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Only Lovers Left Alive(2013)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
7 Days in Havana(2011)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Time That Remains(2009)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
To Each His Own Cinema(2007)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Bamako(2006)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Divine Intervention(2002)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Cyber Palestine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Arab Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
War and Peace in Vesoul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Chronicle of a Disappearance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
The Gulf War... What Next? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Homage by Assassination (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Introduction to the End of an Argument (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Career shape
A full career of 15 titles from 1990 to 2021.
Biggest box office
It Must Be Heaven (2019)
Highest rated
The Time That Remains (2009)
Most popular right now
Bamako (2006)
By role
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Elia Suleiman's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Elia Suleiman work with?
People who share at least 2 of Elia Suleiman's MovieCove titles; Véronique Lange shares the most, 5.
- Véronique LangeShared titles: It Must Be Heaven (2019), 7 Days in Havana (2011), The Time That Remains (2009), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Divine Intervention (2002)See all 5 shared titles with Véronique Lange
- Avi KleinbergerShared titles: The Time That Remains (2009), Divine Intervention (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Avi Kleinberger