ACTOR SAID FARAJ DELIVERS BREAKout PERFORMANCE IN UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ GREEN ZONE  

Faraj Co-Stars Alongside Matt Damon, Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear

“His performance in Green Zone earned him a submittion from Universal Picture for The 42nd NAACP Image Awards for the Supporting Actor Category”

Said Faraj, an accomplished International actor with more than 25 years in the industry, delivers a dynamic, breakthrough performance in the film Green Zone, co-starring Matt Damon, Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear. Directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) this electrifying thriller is set in the chaotic early days of the Iraqi War when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences.

A seasoned actor with an intensity that always makes an impact onscreen, Faraj’s performance in Green Zone is bringing the sort of recognition that he’s worked toward his entire career. And, that is making Hollywood sit up and take notice.

Said Faraj is a Producer & a Recognizable Actor. Faraj had just finish shooting and now is in Post Production his film which he Produced & Starred in "The American Failure" opposite Hakeem Kae Kazim & Adrienne Wilkinson.

Also Starring opposite Patrick Stewart in the new film "Sinbad: The 5th Voyager", Due out 2012.  "The Algerian" is another project that he finished in the beginning of the Year opposite A-list Stars such as Harry Lennix, & Josh Pence and it's up for the Venice film Festival. Now he is Starring  filming 2 projects above Title billing: A political thriller "Cross Purpose" & the psychological Thriller "The Resolve" Due out this Year.

Faraj has been cast in some of the most monumental films of our generation – his credits include Ghost, Bad Influence, True Romance and The Siege among many others.  He has also starred in recurring roles on television’s top-rated shows such as 24 and The Shield.   Most recently, Faraj appeared as a guest star on CSI: LA, Bones and The Unit.  He has also worked with a virtual who's who of talented directors, including Tony Scott, Ed Zwick, Curtis Hanson, Sam Raimi and Jerry Zucker.

Similarly, like a scene from one of his movies, Faraj’s back story paints a riveting portrait of a survivor, including a life-threatening situation that forced him to flee his homeland Lebanon to the United States at the age of 16. With sheer determination and persistence, he tirelessly pursued his passion to become an actor, built a successful career and started a family - ultimately living the “American dream.” 
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"Said Faraj delivers a brilliant performance in Green Zone," said Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City, the award-winning book that inspired the film. "He brings his character to life with compelling authenticity."

"I've spent a lot of time with former Iraqi army officers," Chandrasekaran said. "Said's portrayal of Hamza is spot-on."

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“While director Paul Greengrass uses his shaky cam to create a sense of grit and authenticity to Green Zone -- his telling of what really happened during the search for weapons of mass destruction during the early days of the Iraq War -- it took Matt Damon to give it a human face. He really succeeded making Roy Miller, the chief petty officer in charge of the search fret and sweat as he goes off into the wilds of Baghdad.
But of all the actors working on Green Zone the one who not only gave it a verisimilitude, but also had a personal story right out of the citizenry of any war-torn middle eastern city was 43 year-old Said Faraj -- who played Seeyd Hamza, military adjunct to a top Baathist General. Born in Choueifat, Lebanon, Faraj was 13 when exposed to the Lebanese Civil War.
As a result, his exchanges between his character and Damon's show a degree of pain and urgency that really drives their scenes home. As the person with the key that leads to the general who unlocks Miller's anger about the nonexistent WMDs, the film arc pivots around some of their scenes.
                                                                                                                                                                   Brad Balfour
                                                                                                                                            Editor in Chief,Editorial Director,CEO
                                                                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I wanted to say to you a very great heartfelt and personal thank you. I think your performance was really superb....really accurate and thoughtful and truthful....and as important, I thought you were a great Ambassador for the film, and a joy to work with from first day to last...So thank you said from the bottom of my heart...
 
Hollywood, CA – January 12th , 2012 -  California based production company Cedar Films started rolling cameras on January 21st and now is in Post Production. A new crime/drama film ‘The American Failure’ starring Said Faraj (Green Zone, True Romance), Award Winning actress Adrienne Wilkinson (‘Reflections’, ‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (‘Hotel Rwanda’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End’), Chriss Anglin (‘Dead Men Walking’, ‘Call of Duty: Black Opps’) and Dan Thiel (‘Deep Blue Sea’, )
 Set in Los Angeles ‘The American Failure’ is a film that unravels the demise of Carlos Alias (Said Faraj), a prestigious lawyer whose father is an Arab diplomat caught in a web of deceit and corruption at the hands of a ruthless international drug cartel. Two, power hungry undercover Detectives, Matheis (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) and Parker (Dan Thiel), along with their Lieutenant (Chriss Anglin) are on a fast paced and tenacious cat and mouse chase to track down millions of dollars extorted from the mob while Carlos Elias tries desperately to stay alive.
 “This movie has been my passion project since I began writing the idea 20 years ago.” explains Faraj. “After I came back from filming Green Zone with Matt Damon, we found out my son Abraham, who was 9 at the time, diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in the bones. It was a tragic and emotional time for my family, I put everything on hold for a whole year and turned to God for help. I love my son so much, he went through major treatments. I thank God for President Barack Obama because he approved federal funding for stem cell research. My son was one of the first 25 children to receive this new treatment. On January 10th 2010, with the help of God, a great team of Doctors at the Children Hospital of Los Angeles, the new stem cells and the alternative medicine that Abraham received, my son is free of cancer. That is why I am so passionate about this film – after an emotional time in my life, it’s finally being made.”
 
‘The American Failure’, Is a "High Internce Action Thriler"