Sayed Badreya

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Egyptian-born filmmaker Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream when he won roles as an actor in major Hollywood films such as The Insider (1999), Three Kings (1999), Independence Day (1996) and Stargate (1994). Badreya's persistence has paid off. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, his dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Movies were his escape from the Six-Day War in '67 through the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The only place to get away was the the... more

Egyptian-born filmmaker Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream when he won roles as an actor in major Hollywood films such as The Insider (1999), Three Kings (1999), Independence Day (1996) and Stargate (1994). Badreya's persistence has paid off. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, his dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Movies were his escape from the Six-Day War in '67 through the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The only place to get away was the theater, where movies transported him to a magical land. It was at this point in his life that Sayed knew he was destined to be a part of that magic. He attended New York University film school, than moved to Hollywood to pursue his film career. He worked as an assistant to actor-director Anthony Perkins and worked closely with director James Cameron on True Lies (1994). Sayed's mission is to make movies that tell the Arabic story since it has yet to be told. He created a production company, Zoom In Focus. He directed and produced a documentary, Saving Egyptian Film Classics (2002), produced two short films, "After Dark" (2001) and The Interrogation (2002/I), which won Best Creative Short film at New York International Film Festival. He also directed a TV movie called "Falafel City" (2002). His latest credit, producing and starring in T for Terrorist (2003), won Best Short film at the Boston International Film Festival. He also acted in Stuck on You (2003) and MGM's Soul Plane (2004).