Egyptian-born filmmaker Sayed Badreya realized his childhood dream of movie stardom when he won roles as an actor in major Hollywood films such as The Insiders, Three Kings, Independence Day and Stargate. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, Sayed found escape at the cinema from the violence and turmoil surrounding him. From the Six Day War in 1967 through the Yom Kippur War of 1973, movies transported him to a magical land. Though Sayed knew he was destined to be a part of that magic, his dreams of stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East.

But Sayed’s persistence paid off. He attended New York University Film School before moving to Hollywood to pursue a film career, and started as an assistant to actor/director Anthony Perkins. Sayed then worked closely with director James Cameron on True Lies. Sayed created the film production company Zoom In Focus Production to help fulfill his mission: to make movies that tell the Arabic story… since it has yet to be told. With Zoom In Focus, Sayed produced and directed the documentary Saving Egyptian Film Classics, produced two short films After Dark and The Interrogation (which won Best Creative Short Film and Best Musical Score at the 2002 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, as well as the SLATE award for Best Score at the 2002 California Independent Film Festival), directed a TV movie called Falafel City, and produced and starred in T for Terrorist, winner of Best Narrative Short at the 2003 Boston International Film Festival.

Now teamed with writer/director Hesham Issawi, Sayed Badreya is currently developing a feature-length script for Zoom In Focus Production that expands on the T for Terrorist theme of Arab stereotyping in Hollywood.

Links:
www.SayedBadreya.com
www.Arab-Celebs.com