Amin Matalqa

Recipient of the 2008 Variety Middle East Filmmaker of the year, Amin Matalqa is a Los Angeles-based writer and director. His first feature film, Captain Abu Raed won the Audience Award for World Cinema at Sundance in 2008 and went on to win 27 other prestigious international awards including the Truly Moving Pictures Award, the $100,000 Grand Prize at Heartland, Best Director at Seattle International Film Festival, and the John Schelsinger Award at Palm Springs. Captain Abu Raed was Jordan's first ever entry to the Academy Awards and will open in the US in August 2009 starting with New York. Amin has an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute, and is preparing to shoot two comedy features, The Magic Kiss for Gigapix Studios set in LA, and Gypsy Love for NeoClassics Films set in New York.

More information can be found at www.AminMatalqa.com