Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Iskandar Abdalla is a researcher, writer, educator and curator. He studied history and Middle Eastern studies and is a doctoral fellow at the Berlin Graduate School for Muslim Cultures and Societies. In his dissertation project, he focuses on the affective underpinnings of debating Islam and migration in Germany. His research interests encompass furthermore queerness, film and cultural history in the Arab world and Jewish-Muslim relations. Iskandar has worked as film programmer at the Arab Film Festival (Alfilm) in Berlin since 2015. He has also programmed and curated many cinematic events for various institutions, including Goethe-Institut and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.