Amel Alzakout, born 1988 in Syria, is an artist, puppet maker and film maker based in Leipzig.
Between 2010 and 2013 she studied Journalism at Cairo University (Egypt). Between 2017 and 2018 she studied art at Weißensee Art Academy in Berlin. Since 2019 she studies media art at the Academy of visual art (HGB) in Leipzig.
For her future experimental video projects, she started creating a series of puppet-characters in 2013 and writes about them. In 2017 she participated with other artists in the video installation „TRUST US” in the 3rd Herbstsalon at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin.
Khaled Abdulwahed, born 1975 in Syria, is an artist, photographer and filmmaker based in Leipzig.
Between 1996 and 2000 he studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design at Adham Ismail art school in Damascus / Syria, and at Frederick University in Nicosia / Cyprus. Between 2002 and 2008 he exhibited his artworks in art spaces and galleries in the Middle East and Europe.
Between 2011 and 2015 Khaled Abdulwahed directed and produced the three video artworks 'Bullet' (2011), 'Tuj' (2012) and 'Slot In Memory' (2013) which were amongst others screened at Berlin Art Biennale, Centre Georges Pompidou, Impakt Festival in Utrecht and by ARTE. In 2015 Khaled was invited to Berlinale Talents / DOC Station for his first feature length experimental documentary ‘Jellyfish’. The film was selected for Berlinale Forum, 2016. In 2017 he participated with other artists and filmmakers in the SPOTS campaign for the 'Tribunal Unraveling the NSU complex'.
Collaboration
Amel Alzakout and Khaled Abdulwahed have been collaborating on diverse projects on a regular basis. Amongst their joint projects is the experimental short film ‘backyard’ that celebrated its world premiere in the International Competition at FID Marseille in 2018 and won the festival’s CNAP Award. ‘backyard’ celebrated its German Premiere in the Competition at 61. DOK Leipzig.
In 2018 Amel Alzakout and Khaled Abdulwahed were awarded the Film Prize for International Cooperation Germany – Arab World by the Robert Bosch Stiftung with their feature length documentary „purple sea“.
