Akhnaton Films announced today that Sherif Sadek’s award-winning documentary, “From Queens to Cairo” (2012) is continuing on its film-festival journey with a screening Sunday, June 23 at the San Antonio Film Festival. The festival runs from June 19 to June 23, in San Antonio, TX. nnNominations, Awards and Screeningsn• Nominated as Best Director of a Short Documentary for “From Queens to Cairo” at the Madrid International Film Festival, July 1 – 6, 2013. n• Official selection and screening in the Egyptian Works program at the 16th annual Ismailia International Film Festival in Ismailia, Egypt, June 4 – 9, 2013n• Winner of Best Feature Documentary at the Queens World Film Festival, in Queens, NY, March 2013.n• Official Selection at the Rainier Independent Film Festival, Mount Rainier, WA, May 10 – 12, 2013n• Featured on Indiewire as Project of the Day. nnThis informative and insightful documentary follows Egyptian-American filmmaker Sherif Sadek as he returns to his native Cairo with his family one year after the start of the Egyptian Revolution. With tons of misinformation in the global media, Sadek is determined to see for himself how Egyptians will navigate the bumpy road to democracy after decades of authoritarianism. His journey takes him from famed Tahrir Square to the inside of taxi cabs to rallies and slums as he searches for perspectives from all walks of life.nn
nnSherif Sadek, Akhnaton Films:nThe growing interest in this documentary by the global community is incredibly heart warming because as an American Egyptian, making this film is very personal to me. With the recent political events in Egypt, I wanted to experience history in the making and show the world the humanity, passion, and courage of the Egyptian people, no matter their political beliefs. Fortunately, I’m able to use powerful DI software tools like SCRATCH to shape the story and preserve the realistic look of day-to-day events.nnProductionnSadek shot “From Queens to Cairo” with a Nikon D7000 HDSLR. He then used ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH software to do the conforming and turned to Jason Crump at Metropolis Post for the color grading in SCRATCH. Sadek was able to do the finishing himself, using the SCRATCH Finishing software. Sadek notes, “I work with SCRATCH every day in a technical support role for ASSIMILATE, but to experience its ease-of-use and powerful tool set as a user, gave me even greater appreciation for the craft and creativity of post-production artists.”nnQuotes from the industrynDon Cato, curator of the Queens World Film Festival 2013, gave high marks to Sadek’s documentary, stating, “What at first seemed ordinary, quickly turned to an unflinching drama, drawing a line between pyramids and poverty, Cairo and New York, a people’s movement for freedom and the reactions of his children. It’s a very, very fine piece of work!” nn”When I saw this [film] at the Queens World Film Fe
Akhnaton Films Sherif Sadek 646-662-4312 Contact Sherif via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More