ASHTAR MUALLEM

ASHTAR MUALLEM is a Jerusalemite choreographer and filmmaker whose work explores the intersection of movement and resistance. She is currently working on a feature documentary entitles "Condemned to Dream" on the importance of theatre in cultural resistance in Palestine. Her debut film "Land of Denied Rituals" explores cultural preservation through dance, voice, and image. Her choreographic practice spans 15 years, creating intimate solo works like "Awalem," "Cosmos," and "Enheduanna" that blend circus, dance, and theatre. Through both film and movement, Ashtar crafts narratives that give voice to women, Palestinian experiences and the power of art to resist oppression.

"Land of Denied Rituals" is a short experimental film inspired by Palestinian women's death rituals—songs, dances, and gestures. Through movement and embodiment, I reinterpret these disappearing traditions, transforming them before the camera. This work revives endangered rituals through physical language, reclaiming collective grief as expression and resistance. The film presents an untold strand of Palestinian heritage in a narrative that shifts between past and memory, presence and absence. By embodying these vanishing cultural practices, I create a space where Palestinian heritage lives on through art, turning loss into cultural preservation and resistance.