Author: Ray Shehadeh

Ray Shehadeh is a Syrian American Muslim filmmaker, photographer and writer born and based in Minneapolis. Continuously motivated by the creation of art and storytelling, she highlights stories of marginalized communities, locals, and creatives. 

Ray explores themes of identity, nostalgia, place and time in her visual work— primarily shooting on analog film for its unique aesthetic and physical qualities. As a daughter of immigrant parents, her background informs the photographic and moving images she creates, reframing the first-generation immigrant experience.

Ray is currently pursuing BA degrees in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture, and Journalism at the University of Minnesota, class of 2023. Her journalistic photography has been featured in the Minnesota Daily.

For more, visit her website: rayshehadeh.com.

Photo: Emma Lyons