Hanna Musleh was born in 1954 in Beit Jala to Wahbe and Nijmeh Musleh. During his youth he attended the Mennonite School in Beit Jala, and later went to study in Leningrad State University in Russia for a degree in anthropology, finally obtaining his M.A. from the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology at Manchester University in England. Musleh then returned to Palestine and has worked as a professor at Bethlehem University since 1980 where he has taught cultural studies, history, anthropology and currently teaches film appreciation, anthropology of religion and philosophy.
Musleh helped develop a series of debate shows at the International Centre of Bethlehem (ICB). He was the director of eleven debate shows that were broadcast live by eleven local television channels throughout the West Bank and Gaza. Each debate show depicted important and crucial topics in Palestinian society such as women and elections, disability, health issues and water.
His films have been shown at many festivals locally and internationally, including the Cairo International Festival for Children’s Cinema, which awarded him the Golden Award for a Short Film. The film depicts the life of Palestinian children who suffered permanent disabilities in the on-going violence in the Holy Land. His other films include We are God’s Soldiers, Palestinian Sign Language, I Am a Little Angel, In the Spider’s Web, and Walling In Walling Out: A Bethlehem Story.
Musleh is considered by many to be a compassionate person, a continuous learner, and an avid dreamer.
In the future, he hopes to continue to produce films that make a difference. He feels that by documenting culture today it will be of great value tomorrow. He has already achieved this promise of educating others about the plight of the Palestinians and has contributed immensely to his country and community.
Filmography
