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
Union’s Tim Thornton-Allan Edits Santa’s ‘Naughty List’ for Toyota
We may not get a second chance to make a first impression, but when the opportunity presents itself to right our wrongs in time for Christmas, we should seize the moment. In a new holiday spot for Toyota, a little boy realizes he is probably on Santa’s “Naughty List” and resolves to do something about it. The spot was created via Conill Advertising, produced by MJZ, directed by Fredrik Bond, and edited by Tim Thornton-Allan of Union Editorial/Los Angeles and Marshall Street Editors/London. Watching a program on his iPad in the back seat of his dad’s Toyota Tundra, our young protagonist receives a warning: “If you’ve been naughty, Santa won’t bring you any presents.” The lad wastes no time: “Papa! Turn back!” he commands. Father and son proceed to make the rounds, stopping at school, the neighbors, and elsewhere around the neighborhood, to set things right and deliver apologies. The boy even goes so far as to make amends with his little sister - returning the head of a favorite doll. The child’s restitution has the desired effect, and on Christmas morning, he receives exactly the gift he’d asked for. Judging by what he does next, he may have his work cut out for him next year, but we can all just take things one “Naughty List” at a time. Read More