Sulafa Hijazi


19 April 2013

Syrian writer, director and artist Sulafa Hijazi was the first female director of animated film in Syria.

After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Hijazi’s artworks revolved around the impact of the conflict on children and civilians, and especially the consequences of excessive exposure to violence and weapons on Syrian society. The majority of her paintings during the revolution have depicted children deprived of their right to a safe childhood. Hijazi has also been keen on depicting the pain and grief of physical torture.

In early 2013, Hijazi donated the proceeds of one of her pieces of art to Syrian refugees. The project, entitled "Art in Exile,” was created under the supervision of the Danish gallery Corridor in Copenhagen, and with the support of the Danish Center for Culture and Development (DCCD).  It included artworks by nine Syrian artists and writers, who developed posters, photographs, books and postcards that were sold at the Syria's Art of Resistance exhibition in Copenhagen until May 12.

Hijazi was born in Syria in 1977. She studied theatre at the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts, and painting and sculpture at the Adham Ismail Center of Visual Arts. She gained fame for her film "Birds of Jasmine," which received several regional and international awards. In this film, she tried to tackle the ideas of death and immortality in a simple manner, to answer the questions that children ask about these concepts and about human existence. The movie tells the story of Ghaith, a jasmine bird who roams the forest with his friend Hatoun, looking for a cure for a serious pandemic that has befallen jasmine birds.

Since 1997, Hijazi has written and directed several family- and child-oriented television series and other educational and developmental programs. Her portfolio includes animation, live drama, muppets and documentaries. She was also one of the founders of the Spacetoon children's television channel.

Her works include “Wajhat Nazar” (Point of View), “Dumtum Salmeen” (Praying for Your Safety) and “The Information City- 2004,” which claimed the top honor at the Gulf, Cairo and Tunis festivals for Radio and Television. According to Al Jazeera, the last program Hijazi produced in 2007, “My Arab House,” is considered one of the biggest Arab productions for children.

To visit Hijazi’s official website click here.

To visit her Facebook page click here.

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Illustation by Dima Nechawi Graphic Design by Hesham Asaad