Samirah Alkassim

Samirah Alkassim is an Assistant Professor of Film Theory at George Mason University's Film and Video Studies program. She holds a BA in English Literature from Oberlin College (1989) and an MFA in Cinema Production/Studies from San Francisco State University (1996). Her research focuses on MENA cinemas, genre studies, and film's intersection with politics and global contexts. Current projects include a book on 21st century Arab film/media and a documentary about Jordanian artist Hani Hourani.

Her academic affiliations include teaching positions at the American University in Cairo, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Singapore), and US institutions. She has received grants such as the 2023 CHR Summer Research Grant and 2022 Robert K. Purks Grant. Her work bridges theoretical scholarship and experimental filmmaking, with recent presentations at venues like Beirut's IESAV/ALBA and Saudi Arabia's Film Commission Forum.

Key research interests span global horror film, transnational cinema, and the politics of representation in Middle Eastern media. She co-edits the Palgrave Studies in Arab Cinema series and authored The Cinema of Muhammad Malas (2018). Recent publications include analyses of Palestinian cinema, Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab, and post-cinematic aesthetics in Arab films.

Teaching specialties include global horror, film perception theory, and video production for education. She actively participates in academic panels discussing publishing trends in Middle Eastern studies and filmic approaches to historical memory.