BIO
Hala is an Iraqi-Canadian interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker with a strong background in journalism. Her research-creation practice involves questioning gender, political power and history-making through collage, ceramics and video. Hala's narrative film work has been screened at festivals across the world including Busan International Film Festival, Cairo Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival.
In 2022, Hala was the recipient of SSHRC's CGS-M award to pursue an MFA in Toronto's OCAD University. Her thesis "Remember the Future: Oneiric Artifacts from Mesopotamia" proposes dreaming as a methodology for excavating possible futures. She received the Grad Studies First Year Award from the university in 2023 and graduated in 2024. She currently lives and works in Tkaronto (Toronto).
Hala acknowledges the privilege of growing up on Turtle Island, where indigenous people have been subjected to the same colonial powers that occupied and still interfere with her own motherland.
contact: halaalsalman@ocadu.ca
CV
EDUCATION
2024 MFA Interdisciplinary Arts, Media and Design, OCAD University
2020 Certificate: Introduction to Psychology, Yale University
2002 BA Communication Studies, Minor in Political Science, Concordia University
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Remember the Future: Oneiric Artifacts from Mesopotamia, The Graduate Gallery, OCAD University, Toronto, CA
2022 "Haifa Street", Babylon International Festival, Babylon, IQ
2020 "Haifa Street", Cairo International Film Festival, Cairo, EG
2020 "Haifa Street", Busan International Film Festival, Busan, KR
2012 "Bêtes Humaines", Newport Beach International Film Festival, US
2012 "Bêtes Humaines", Rendez-Vous du Cinema Québecois, Montreal, CA
2010 "PHATWA", Off The Hook Boutique, Montreal, CA
GROUP SHOWS
2025 RootsUnseen, feat. “The Rod and The Ring”, CICAMuseum, Gimpo-si, KR (upcoming)
2024 Salasil Film Club featuring curated by Salasil Studio, Alserkal Art Foundation, Dubai, AE
2024 Expressions of Critical Thought, Aurora Cultural Center, Aurora, CA
2023 The Aliens Aren't Coming, OCAD University, Toronto, CA
2023 Too Big To Fail, OCAD University, Toronto, CA
2022 The Incomplete, OCAD University, Toronto, CA
2004 Iraq War Exhibit, Fivegreen Boutique, Dubai, AE
FILM FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS
2018 Venice Biennial - Venice Production Bridge
2017 Carthage Film Festival - Producers Network
2017 Tribeca Film Festival - TFI Network
2016 Doha Film Institute - Qumra
AWARDS
2024 Travel Grant for "The Rod and The Ring," OCAD University
2023 Graduate Studies First Year Award, OCAD University
2022 CGS-M Award, SSHRC
2018 Post Production Fund for "Haifa Street," Doha Film Institute
2010 Production award for "Bêtes Humaines," Le Fonds TV5
2009 Production grant for "PHATWA," CALQ / Vivacité
PUBLICATIONS / PRESS
Featured in: Carnation Zine, Vol 3 (Fire), September 2024
Interview: This Art Show is Too Big To Fail by Chris Dart, CBC Arts, April 2023