About sayef
Sayef Zaman is an Independent filmmaker based in QUEENS, NY. celebrated for pushing the boundaries of thought provoking films. His work ranges from multiple award-winning debut thrillers to captivate audiences & experimental shorts that challenge conventional Narratives.
In 2018, while working at a warehouse on a nightshift, Sayef began developing the idea to his debut feature film, Probashi, a crime thriller co-written with his brother Nabil Zaman. Shot over the span of two years revolving a skeleton crew in Queens, NY. Initially what started as an experimental film with non-actors using an android phone began to develop into a full fledged crime drama attracting local stars and film students to join the cast and crew ,Initially without a formal script and with a two minutes proof of concept, Probashi subsequently went on to earn critical acclaim and multiple International outstanding debut filmmaking achievement awards.
Due to the arrival of global pandemic Sayef was unable to screen his debut dream project Probashi in front of a live audience , however undeterred Sayef in the midst of uncertainty directed Mr. Lockdown, an experimental short film from the confines of his home. Despite facing censorship and shadow bans upon its release , the debut short film earned national and international accolades, screened at Kraine Theater in Manhattan and featured at the first Bengali Film Festival of NY in 2023 . His latest cryptic short, A Road to Nowhere, was filmed shortly after and gained recognition, winning multiple awards, including the iconic IndieFEST Film Awards 2022 for "Creativity and Originality."
Currently, Sayef is working on his debut occult thriller , Walpack!, which has already received numerous accolades during its development stages. The screenplay has won awards such as the Ring of Fire 2024 for "Best Horror" and the New York Metropolitan Screenwriting and Film Awards 2024, positioning it as one of the most anticipated projects in his career.