Hi, my name is M H Matar. I was born in Amman to a Palestinian family whose story of exile and return shaped much of the way I see the world.

I hold an MFA in Cinematic Arts and an MA in Serial Storytelling. My work bridges filmmaking, writing, and visual storytelling, and lives at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and visual art. I believe stories are the oldest technology humans created to understand themselves and the world around them.

I am an Assistant Professor of Media and Communication at Zayed University in Dubai, where I teach storytelling, screenwriting, and visual culture.

As a filmmaker my films include Slingshot and The Pigeon Whisperer, and I received a PromaxBDA award in 2012. I recently completed the 3D animated film Where the Two Seas Meet, which explores identity, memory, and belonging through animation and music.

Alongside filmmaking I write allegorical fiction, political satire, and graphic novels. My current projects include the graphic novel The Blue Lotus and Beyond All Love. I am interested in blending Eastern and Western narrative traditions, drawing inspiration from philosophy, mythology, and oral storytelling.

I have lived and worked between Amman, Dubai, Cologne, and the United States. Travel continues to shape the way I think about culture and narrative. I believe storytelling is not only art but also a way of preserving memory and imagining new futures.

Personal interests include running, philosophy, music, and building creative projects that bring together storytelling, technology, and culture.