ALI IMRAN ZAIDI, Co-Producer - Cinematographer

Born and first bred under British tutelage in a post-colonial middle-eastern nation, Ali Imran Zaidi developed a passion for writing at a very early age. It was in the blue & white checkered uniforms of Al-Khubairat school in Abu Dhabi in the early 80s where he recalls competing with fellow students over who could write the longest coherent stories. On one occasion, a friend’s story was so entertaining it actually spurred the teachers into organizing a school play around it. Hmmm… you can actually write things that others can perform and all can appreciate? That was clue number one.

As it turned out years later, between his writing and an intense appreciation for photography (another form of raw storytelling), he had already developed a passion for filmmaking but just never knew it… until one day, while watching a small, wonderful independent film, it hit him like a ton of bricks – good writing plus moving photography can equal great film! Then it all came swirling together – you just don’t get into knock-down drag-out fights with people over which decade produced the best films, or whether watching pan & scan films over the original letterbox version is an abomination, unless you really take your films seriously.

After many moons spent watching and helping more experienced filmmakers, producers, sound engineers and actors work their magic, thus was born The Seventh Level, a small-budget but large-minded independent production company in Central Florida.