Zoom in Focus
12/3/03
T for Terrorist was voted the Best Film of the festival 2003
The San Francisco World Film Festival has announced the winners of the 2003 Festival. T for Terrorist was voted the Best Narrative Short Film of the festival. Congratulations to Hesham Issawi, Sayed Badreya, and the entire cast and crew for "T for Terrorist" for this great achievement. May many more successes come your way!
"T for Terrorist" Winner of the Best Narrative Short Film at BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (2003) Staring:- Tony Shalhoub (recent Emmy and Golden Globe winner for the TV series Monk) and Sayed Badreya of (The Insider and Three Kings.)
T for Terrorist, a new and timely short film that explores one possible - and darkly comedic - ramification of typecasting Arab actors in Hollywood. The story begins with meek character actor Sayed, once again playing the “bad guy.” This time in T for Terrorist, a studio production ruled over by a dictatorial young Director. Pushed past his limit for abuse and encouraged by a mysterious Man in White. Sayed takes over the set and forces the Director to play the terrorist while he himself finally gets to play the hero… but will Hollywood let him get away with it?
http://www.zoominfocus.com/t4t/ http://www.arab-celebs.com/article.asp?id=24
Carnival Arabia Nov. 2003
The Terrors of Typecasting By: Firas Al-Atraqchi
Sayed Badreya has played the Arab bad guy many times. Can his new docu-comedy, T for Terrorist, change all that?
They blow up innocent people, hate America and Jews, are dirty, vicious and vindictive. They, of course, are the Hollywood version of Arabs and Muslims, the proverbial enemy.
Former CBS news consultant and film critic Jack Shaheen examined Hollywood’s obsession with denigrating the Arab character in his 2001 book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. From racial slurs and epithets to portrayals of evil, anti-women, anti-freedom and anti-civilization propagandists, the Tinseltown Arab has become the modern bad guy, the enemy out there trying to kill us all.
Just ask filmmaker and actor Sayed Badreya who has been typecast as the ghoulish, murderous Arab in one movie after another. Donning a beard and looking stalwart and robust, Badreya fits in neatly to Hollywood’s perception of the Arab; in Executive Decision (1996) he played a Palestinian hijacker. In The Three Kings (1999), a movie about Saddam’s hidden gold cache, he plays an Iraqi tank major who fires on his own people while in The Insider (1999), he is a Hezbollah military commander being interviewed by the film’s star Al Pacino.
“When I came to Los Angeles in 1979 it was a honeymoon between Egypt and America. After 9-11 it has become a challenge to get the Arab-American voice heard,” says Port Said native Badreya. “But we are here to stay.” It’s no surprise then that acclaimed director Hesham Issawi, whose film Interrogation won Best Creative Short Film at the 2002 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, is taking a comedic swipe at Arab stereotyping and typecasting. His 28-minute T for Terrorist, starring Tony Shalhoub (Arab-American Emmy and Golden Globe winner for the TV series Monk) and Badreya, recently won the Best Narrative Short category at the Boston International Film Festival.
The plot is a case of art imitating life, mimicking the frustrations Arab-American actors face when auditioning for movie roles. Badreya, plays an Arab American looking in vain for roles beyond that of terrorist. When a young dictatorial director harasses and abuses Badreya in his typecast role, a mysterious man in a white suit (Shalhoub) encourages Badreya to rebel, take over the production set and force the director to play the bad guy instead. Badreya then transforms himself into the good guy.
The film leaves open the question whether Hollywood can live with Arab Americans in more positive cinematic roles. It also ponders whether Hollywood itself helps perpetuate the negative stereotyping of Arabs by restricting the roles they play (and portray) in film.
Although the film is satirical and a black comedy, it is intertwined in political commentary; the title itself is reminiscent of the ‘branding’ of an ethnicity. In the wake of the 9-11 tragedy, editorials in North America and Israel demanded that Arabs and Palestinians, respectively, be branded with a yellow ‘T’ armband.
Shalhoub was so moved by the script that he signed on for no acting fee. “Arab-Americans have no voice in Hollywood,” says Shalhoub. “I took on this project because it makes no judgments. It is simple and has heart…it speaks with an American heart.”
Although T for Terrorist has been banned in Egypt for inexplicable reasons, it will be screened at the California Independent Film Festival November 2nd, and at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival on November 17.
The number of festivals asking for the film to be screened prompted Badreya and Issawi to begin work on two new projects. In their upcoming The Report, a psychologist writes a book about an Arab-American who has suffered from racial profiling. In Mostafa’s World (working title) the viewer is witness to the everyday life of an Egyptian family of restaurateurs in the post-9-11 atmosphere. “Our nature as Egyptians and Arabs is to survive; from the [political] wreckage of 9-11 we are building something for the Arab-American community,” says Badreya.
Sayed Badreya The Egyptian-born filmmaker Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream when he won roles as an actor in major Hollywood films such as “The Insiders,” “Three Kings” “Independence Day” and “Stargate.” 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 ’73. The only escape was the theater where movies transported him to a magical land.
It was at this point in his life that Sayed know he was destined to be a part of that magic.
Sayed attended New York University film school, and than moved to Hollywood to pursued his film carrier. He worked as an assistant to Actor-Director Anthony Perkins and worked closely with Director James Cameron on “True Lies.” Sayed mission to make movies to tell the Arabic story since it has yet to be told. Sayed Created a Prodaction Film Company "Zoom In Focus" His credit is Directed & produce a Documentary Film "Saving Egyptian Film Classics (2002)", produce "The Interrogtion (2002)." Which won Best Creative Short film at New York Int'l Film Festival ( 2002). His latest credit, producing and staring in " T for Terrorist (2003)" which won Best Short film at Boston International Film Festival, (2003) and The San Francisco World Film Festival (2003). He also acted in "Stuck on You", a Farrlly Brother's Film, MGM's new film "Soul Plane" and Wim Wenders's new Film.
http://www.imdb.com/Name?Badreya,+Sayed
Profile of Sayed Badreya http://www.arab-celebs.com/Profile.asp?ID=68 http://www.arab-celebs.com/PF.asp?ID=68
Sayed Badreya Home page http://www.sayedbadreya.com/index8.htm
Rebel with a Cause writer: Sherif Awad http://www.egypttoday.com/issues/0311/7B98/03117B98.asp
Badreya's Road to America writer: Sherif Awad http://www.egypttoday.com/issues/0311/672C/0311672C.asp
Hesham Issawi
Hesham Issawi is born in Egypt. He attended film school, Columbia College/Chicago and Graduated in 1995. After graduation he Worked at Local TV Stations in Chicago. In 1996 he produced the Documentary, "Saving the Sphinx," for the Learning Channel. He moved to Los Angeles in 1999 where he worked as a free Lance editor. He Edited "Saving Egyptian Film Classics," 2001 (Documentary). Director /Writer for "The Interrogation." Which won Best Creative Short film at New York Int'l Film Festival , 2002 "T For Terrorist." is the third project for Hesham as a producer in Zoom In Focus.
The Making Of T for Terrorrist
Are Arabs and Arab-Americans the Last Acceptable 'Bad Guys' in Hollywood? CASTING CALLS, looks at how various races and ethnic groups have taken turns as the villain of choice, notably during times of war or crisis. In a world overshadowed by acts of terrorism from Islamic extremists, Arabs and Arab-Americans stand out as potential ethnic "bad guys." CASTING CALLS takes viewers to the set of the independent film, "T for Terrorist," starring Sayed Badreya, an Egyptian actor who in real life has played more than his share of the Arab "bad guys." CASTING CALLS looks at the controversial issues of whether Hollywood is perpetuating an existing stereotype or laying the foundation for societal biases and discrimination. In this era of political correctness, CASTING CALLS asks whether Hollywood adjusts its stereotypes based on the appetite of the paying audience or on an enlightened cultural sensitivity.
ZOOM IN FOCUS PRODUCTION 1233 Berkeley St. Suite # 6 SANTA MONICA, CA 90404 TEL: - 310- 828- 6366 - FAX: - 310- 828- 8750 www.zoominfocus.com