Ali Selim

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Ali Selim has been an advertising commercial director for the past fifteen years, during which time he has directed over 850 television commercials, five half-hour documentaries and several music videos. His first project, a documentary celebrating the centennial of his alma mater, Saint Thomas Academy, was awarded at international film festivals. ^{[citation needed]}

Ali formed his own production company, Departure Films in 1989. While there he directed a number of award-winning television commercials, including a public service announcement for the YMCA which received a Gold Lion, advertising’s most coveted award, from Cannes Advertising Film Festival in 1991. Late in that same year, Ali left Departure Films to become the first director other than founder Bob Giraldi to be hired by Giraldi/Suarez Productions in New York and Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993 Ali wrote, produced and directed Yonnondio, a 15-minute music video in collaboration with Academy Award winning composer Peter Buffett which was awarded the Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival and a CINE Golden. Ali was an honoree at the AICP Show “The Art and Technique of the American Television Commercial,” where his work was placed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

His narrative film “Emperor of the Air” (1996), based on Ethan Canin’s story of the same name, was awarded the Gold at Worldfest and the D.L Mayberry Award. He was placed on Ad Week Magazine’s highly selective list of the top 1% most sought after directors in the country. His script for the film “Sweet Land” with executive producer Gill Holland of Lasalle/Holland was the only screenplay selected for the inaugural year of the Cyngus Emerging Filmmakers Institute and was produced in 2005 starring Alan Cumming, Ned Beatty, Elizabeth Reaser, Alex Kingston and John Heard. The film was the recipient of the 2005 Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the 13th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival.

Ali is currently in production on a feature-length documentary entitled “Trash Dawgs” which focuses on the history and problem of garbage in America.