Malik Hassan Sayeed is an American cinematographer, producer and director. He is known for his work on films such as

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

's '' Clockers'' (1995) and ''

He Got Game ''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball ...

'' (1998), and the

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

' film ''Belly'' (1998). Sayeed has also contributed to music videos including

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

's "

Ex-Factor "Ex-Factor" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998). Written and produced by Hill herself, it incorporates elements of R&B, neo soul and hip hop soul. The son ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's "

Gold Digger A gold digger is a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional sexual relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold di ...

" featuring

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

, and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's " Formation". He is set to serve as the cinematographer for

Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alon ...

's upcoming film ''After the Hunt''.

Education

Sayeed graduated from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1990 with a degree in Film Studies. Notably, he studied under leading member of the L.A. Rebellion,

Haile Gerima Haile Gerima (born March 4, 1946) is an Ethiopian filmmaker who lives and works in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. Since 1975, Haile has b ...

. He also attended the Maine Photographic Workshops.

Career

Sayeed was a second unit director of photography on

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's ''

Eyes Wide Shut ''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Dream Story'' () by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's setting from earl ...

'' and

Andrew Niccol Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964) is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. He wrote and directed '' Gattaca'' (1997), '' Simone'' (2002), '' Lord of War'' (2005), '' In Time'' (2011), '' The Host'' (2013), and '' Good Kill'' (201 ...

's ''

Gattaca ''Gattaca'' is a 1997 American dystopian science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol in his List of directorial debuts, feature directorial debut. It stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Go ...

'' and was the cinematographer for

' ''

Belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, ce ...

'' and

's '' The Original Kings of Comedy'', ''

Girl 6 ''Girl 6'' is a 1996 American black comedy film produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film stars Theresa Randle, Isaiah Washington, and Lee. Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the screenplay, making it the first film directed by Lee that he did not a ...

'', ''

'' and '' Clockers''. Sayeed had served on the electrical crews for Spike Lee's ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

'' and ''Crooklyn'' before Lee promoted him to director of photography for ''Clockers''. Prior to this promotion, Sayeed had worked on music videos with Hype Williams and television commercials with Lee. Three years after ''Clockers'', he served as director of photography for ''Belly''. As of 2023, this was his last dramatic feature to be released. Though Sayeed has continued working in music, notably directing or serving as cinematographer for videos like

's "

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

's " Left & Right," and Beyonce's " Formation" and " Brown Skin Girl." After working with Arthur Jafa (cinematographer for ''Crooklyn'') on '' Seven Songs for Malcolm X'', Sayeed and Jafa started to develop a closer relationship. In 2014, Sayeed along with Jafa and Elissa Blount Moorhead launched TNEG, an independent film studio and production company with the goal of creating a "Black cinema as culturally, socially, and economically central to the 21st century as was Black music to the 20th century." He is currently represented by production company Little Minx.

Awards

In 1999, Sayeed was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award: Best Cinematography for ''Belly'' (1998) He has won MTV Video Music Awards for "Formation" and "Brown Skin Girl" amongst other music videos.

References

External links

* African-American film directors Living people American music video directors Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American film producers African-American film producers American cinematographers African-American cinematographers MTV Video Music Award winners Howard University alumni 21st-century African-American people {{US-film-director-stub