Books
Sammy Sheik Wins Best Actor for “I Am Gitmo” at Marbella International Film Festival 2023
Written and directed by Philippe Diaz (The End of Poverty?, Now and Later), the film was also nominated for Best Film and Best Director at the festival and will be released in January 2024 to mark the 21st anniversary since the prison took in its first prisoners. It features bravura performances by Sheik (American Sniper, NCIS: Los Angeles) and Eric Pierpoint (Liar, Liar, Alien Nation) who plays his interrogator.
Inspired by the declassified legal hearings of earlier detainees, the story takes place in 2002 and revolves around Gamel Sadek, an Egyptian man living in Afghanistan with his family who is sold for a bounty, taken from his home, and delivered to the CIA under suspicion of terrorism. He is first sent to Bagram Air Base where he is brutally interrogated and tortured, then flown to Guantanamo prison where his status as an “enemy combatant” does not offer—according to the Bush administration—protection under the Geneva Convention.
According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, 780 men and boys, all of them Muslim, have been imprisoned over time at Guantánamo since January 2002. 86 percent were sold to the United States during a time when the U.S. military was offering large bounties for capture; commonly, $5,000 was offered per man.
Sheik says: “I’m honored to be a part of telling this very important story. For the first time, the narrative is being told from the point of view of one of the many victims of the so-called “war on terror” and the grave injustices he and many others had to endure, without the usual idolization of the western hero that Hollywood has been presenting for years.”
For the first time, the treatment that Guantanamo’s Arab Muslim prisoners experienced upon detainment is told from their point of view. “The movie I Am Gitmo by my friend Philippe Diaz, scarily brings back, in high resolution, the suffering and the stories I lived through firsthand. It was a hard watch for me. Please watch it to understand what I mean,” says Mohamedou ould Slahi, a former Guantanamo prisoner and author of the international best-selling book The Guantanamo Diaries.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Sheik is known for roles in the movies American Sniper and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He has had recurring roles in television series including the hit Canal + series The Bureau, Scandal, Homeland, 24, United States of Tara, The Unit, NCIS, and Lost. He is currently in Egypt taping the televises series, Hashasheen.
Diaz says, “This award for Sammy Sheik is much deserved. Sammy did a wonderful job as Gamel, when the character cries, Sammy’s tears are real as is his fear and his anger. I hope Sammy’s performance and this movie can aid the #CloseGuantanamo campaign asking President Joe Biden to close this infamous prison.”
Of the 780 men originally incarcerated and tortured at Guantanamo, 86% of whom were sold for a bounty, 30 remain imprisoned today. Of those brought to Guantanamo, only eight were convicted of crimes, and of those men, four had those convictions reversed. (source: Center for Constitutional Rights)
The film was produced by Cinema Libre Studio.
Trailer at: www.IAmGitmoFilm.com
Learn more at Facebook and Instagram: @IAmGitmoFilm
About Cinema Libre Studio: Cinema Libre Studio is a full-service mini studio known for producing and distributing high-quality feature films and social impact documentaries. Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, the team has released over 200 films.
www.cinemalibrestudio.com | www.facebook.com/cinemalibrestudio | twitter.com/cinemalibre
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Readers who appreciate structured, realistic approaches to healthy living will be excited to know that a new Kindle book, Clean Eating Nourishment: Ten Clean Eating Systems for Daily Wellbeing, has just been released by wellness author Ruby Dosanjh.
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nside the book, readers will discover:
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If you’ve enjoyed the clean‑eating articles on CarryOnHarry, this book offers a deeper, more comprehensive roadmap — designed to help you create a healthier everyday life with clarity and confidence.
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Books
Cary Elwes, Gates McFadden, Walter Koenig, Manny Jacinto Added to FAN EXPO Portland Celebrity Lineup
Elwes gained wide acclaim for his portrayal of “Wesley” in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride and reached new audiences by headlining the Mel Brooks spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights and later Saw. He also recently appeared in the Tom Cruise features Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and portrays “Mayor Larry Kline” in Stranger Things 3.
McFadden had the key role of “Beverly Crusher” in TNG, reprising the role in Picard, Prodigy and other iterations of the franchise. She is also a stage actress, choreographer, director, teacher, and was the host of more than 300 episodes of the podcast “Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?”
Koenig is best known for his recurring television portrayals both of the hated, intensely driven “Alfred Bester” (Babylon 5) and the likable, perpetually cheerful “Pavel Chekov” (Star Trek). Koenig’s film work includes the first seven Star Trek feature films, for which he earned two Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor nominations. His many other films have been independent projects with challenging roles.
Jacinto played “Jason Mendoza” on the full four-season run of The Good Place (2016-20) and later appeared as “Lt. Fritz Avalone” in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Also among his more than 50 TV and film credits are runs on the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers and the animated series Hailey’s on It!
Peggy, earning the title of “Britain’s Ugliest Dog” in a national competition there, has gone on to stardom as “Dogpool” in the Marvel Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine. A portion of proceeds from her appearance at FAN EXPO Portland will support a local charity in the Pacific Northwest.
The five bolster an already impressive FAN EXPO Portland celebrity roster that includes:
• The Lord of the Rings headliners Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan
• Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³)
• Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone)
• Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
• Harry Potter duo of Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright
• Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Armageddon)
• Robbie Rist (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Brady Bunch)
• Ernie Reyes Jr. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
• Brian Tochi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Revenge of the Nerds)
• Kenn Scott (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, director/Adventures of Johnny Tao)
• François Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lost)
• Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, American Dad)
• Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911!, The Goldbergs)
• My Hero Academia standouts Eric Vale, David Matranga, J. Michael Tatum, Brandon McInnis and Clifford Chapin
• Hazbin Hotel regulars Christian Borle, Joel Perez and Krystina Alabado
More FAN EXPO Portland guest announcements will follow from the worlds of film, television, streaming, art, literature, gaming, cosplay, anime, animation and more in the coming weeks.
Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now at www.fanexpoportland.com. Advance pricing is available until January 1.
Portland is the second event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.
About FAN EXPO HQ
FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, FAN EXPO Cleveland, MEGACON Orlando, Toronto Comicon, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Canada, FAN EXPO Dallas, VIDCON Anaheim, EDMONTON EXPO, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and FAN EXPO San Francisco. The latest schedule of events is available on the website, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.
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