Biography + Festivals

Alex El Dahdah is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher with an MFA in Multidisciplinary Arts and a BA in Filmmaking. His practice interrogates themes of nationhood and belonging, familial relationships, love, and personal emotional landscapes. 

Often employing irony and critical reflection, his work examines societal systems and their disconnections, while also offering poignant meditations on intimacy and identity. Alex’s diverse body of work spans experimental short films, video art, graphic prints, and conceptual projects presented through text and digital platforms. His interdisciplinary approach integrates historical research, narrative inquiry, and abstract visual languages to provoke nuanced engagement with cultural and existential themes. 

Beyond his personal projects, Alex actively collaborates across creative disciplines. He has served as a production designer for short films, a performer in dance and theater productions, and a director for music videos and commercial visual content. His expertise extends to brand design, where he has developed identities for publications, companies, and nonprofit organizations. 

Alex’s work has been exhibited internationally in major cultural hubs including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Beirut, garnering recognition for his conceptual rigor and innovative methodologies.

Film screenings, selections and awards: Lebanese Independent Film Festival (Official Selection, Lebanon, 2023); Asia North (Screening and Panel Discussion, United States, 2023); IndieX Film Fest (Annual Award Nominee, United States, 2022); Las Cruces International Film Festival (Official Selection, United States, 2022); Top Indie Film Awards (Official Selection, Japan, 2021); Watersprite Film Festival (Official Selection, United Kingdom, 2021); First-Time Filmmaker Sessions (Official Selection, United Kingdom, 2021); Karnavati International Film Festival (Official Selection, India, 2021); ISAFF Saint Petersburg (Honorable Mention, Russia, 2021); KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (Official Selection, India, 2021); Tracce Cinematografiche Film Fest (Official Selection, Italy, 2021); Alvsbyn Film Festival (Official Selection, Sweden, 2021); Spring Grove Caledonia Film Festival (Official Selection, United States, 2021); QueerX Los Angeles (Official Selection, United States, 2021); Queer Global Arts Fest (Official Selection, United States, 2021); Internacional Queer Film Festival Playa del Carmen (Official Selection, Mexico, 2021); Lebanese Independent Film Festival (Official Selection, Lebanon, 2021); Beijing Queer Film Festival (Official Selection, China, 2021); Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival (Official Selection, United States, 2021); Global Youth Film Festival (Official Selection, Bangladesh, 2021); Aurora Film Festival (Official Selection, Italy, 2020); GlennFest Film Festival (Official Selection, United States, 2020); IndieX Film Fest (Award of Excellence, Special Jury Mention, United States, 2020); IndieX Film Fest (Best LGBTQ Short, United States, 2020); Hilltop Film Festival of Diversity and Inclusion (Official Selection, United States, 2020); Screen Power Film Festival (Best LGBTQ+ Film, United Kingdom, 2020); Andromeda Film Festival (Official Selection, Turkey, 2020); Hidalgo Film Fest (Official Selection, Mexico, 2020); image+nation festival (Official Selection, Canada, 2020); LIFFT (Nominee, India, 2020); NewFilmmakers LA (Official Selection for InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema, United States, 2020, hosted by the Academy Awards).
Gallery Exhibitions: TRANSITION/TRANSformation/TRANScendence (Group Show, The Parlor, Baltimore, MD, United States, 2023), Artists United Times Square Equibition (Time Square, New York, NY, United States, 2023), Mount Royal Thesis Exhibition (Group Show, Fanny Fox Decker and Meyerhoff Galleries, Baltimore, MD, United States, 2023), Holding Tension (Group Show, Leidy Gallery, Baltimore, MD, United States, 2022); You Are Here (Group Show, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA, United States, 2022); It’s About Time (Group Show, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA, United States, 2021).