Born in the now destroyed village of Quneytra (in the Israeli-occupied Golan), in 1945, Mohammad Malas first earned a teaching diploma and worked in Damascus for three years as a teacher while enrolled in the Philosophy department at the University of Damascus. In 1968 he earned a scholarship to study film directing at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). He directed three short films while there, Hulm Madinah Saghira (The Dream of a Small City, 1972), The Seventh Day (Al-Yaom as-Sabe‘eh, 1973), and Kullon Fi Makanihi Wa Koll Shay’ ‘Ala Ma Yuram Sayyed al-Dhabit (Everybody is in his Place and Everything is under Control, Sir Officer, 1974). The latter was his graduation project, exploring the experience of prison in Egypt, in which he collaborated with renowned Egyptian novelist, Sun‘allah Ibrahim, who also starred in the film. He returned to Damascus in 1974 to work for the Syrian Television, where he produced short films like al-Quneitra '74 (1974) and al-Zhakira (The Memory, 1977). He co-authored the script of his first fiction feature, Ahlam al-Madina (Dreams of the City, 1983) with Samir Zikra. His second fiction feature, al-Leyl (The Night, 1992) was co-authored with Oussama Mohammad. In between, he directed a number of documentary films, beginning with al-Manam (The Dream, 1982), shot in the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, only a few months before the massacre. He co-directed with Omar Amiralay and Oussama Mohammad two documentaries, Nouron wa Thilal (Light and Shadows, the Last of the Pioneers: Nazih Shahbandar, 1995), a portrait of Syrian cinema pioneer Nazih Shahbandar on the occasion of the Centennial of Cinema in 1995; and Moudaress, a portrait of the veteran modern artist, Fateh Moudaress, in 1996. In 1998, he shared scriptwriting and direction duties with Hala al-Abdallah Yakoub, on a documentary on political prisoners in Syria, Tahta al-Raml, Fawqa al-Shams (On the Sand, Under the Sun) on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His most recent film is a fiction feature, Bab el-Maqam (Passion, 2005). He has published articles and essays widely, and wrote a novel, I‘lanat ‘An Madina Kanat Tai‘sh Tahta al-Harb (Advertisements about a City that Lived in the War, Beirut: Dar Ibn Rushd, 1979 and Damascus: Dar al-Ahali, 1990). He has also published a number of screenplays and film diaries including: Al Manam; Moufakarat film (The Dream; a Film Diary, Beirut: Dar al-Adab, 1990), The Night (Damascus: Dar Kanaan, 2003), and the film diary for Everybody is in his Place and Everything Is under Control, Sir Officer (Beirut: Dar al-Mada, 2003).

Malas has received numerous awards in the Arab world and around the world. Dreams of the City earned eleven awards including the Golden Tanit at the Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage, Tunisia (1984), The Golden Olive at the Valencia Festival of Mediterranean Cinema in Spain (1984). The Night earned five awards, including the Golden Tanit in Carthage (1992) and the Silver Olive at Valencia.