The Shadow

The Shadow is about actor Golbon Eghtedari, who plays an insurgent character in the Clint Eastwood movie American Sniper. Golbon, who was born in Iran, discusses her conflicted feelings about her role and the film. Alshaibi’s documentary examines how the Hollywood film vilifies people from the Middle East with inaccurate and racist representations.

  • Usama Alshaibi
    Director
  • Golbon Eghtedari
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 5, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Hi-Defintion
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Usama Alshaibi

Usama Alshaibi was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1969 and spent his formative years living between the United States and the Middle East. He’s an active filmmaker and artist with many short films, documentaries and feature films to his credit. His films have screened at underground and international film festivals, and have been broadcast on television stations across the globe.

In early 2004, nine months after the United States invaded Iraq, Usama returned to his birthplace to shoot his first feature documentary Nice Bombs. The documentary had a theatrical release in Chicago and New York, and a broadcast premiere on the Sundance Channel.

His controversial feature film Profane has played globally at underground film festivals and won several awards, including best feature film when it premiered at the Boston Underground Film Festival.

His second documentary film American Arab was produced by the Chicago documentary powerhouse Kartemquin Films. The film had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and a national television broadcast through PBS World Channel, as part of the fourth season of America ReFramed. The documentary was also televised on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and VGTV in Norway.

The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Punk Planet and Variety have covered his work and his transgressive short films are featured in Jack Sargeant’s book Flesh and Excess: On Underground Film. An interview with Usama appears in Studs Terkel’s book Hope Dies Last, and his coming-of-Arab story is in Louis Cainkar’s book, Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11.

Usama’s films have received several grants from such organizations as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Playboy Foundation, and the Creative Capital Foundation for the Arts. He’s also the winner of the Creative Promise award at Tribeca All Access in New York City.

Usama lived in Chicago for over 17 years and worked as a digital archivist at the Chicago History Museum, and as a radio host and producer for Chicago Public Media. Currently, Usama is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Colorado State University, and lives in Colorado with his daughter Muneera.

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