Sunshowah Films
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is home to Daoud Abeid and Dahkil Hausif, founders of Sunshowah Films. Abeid and Hausif formed Sunshowah in the year 2000 out of a need to counteract the one-dimensional images depicting urban life in the American film culture. Combining Syracuse University film educations with street knowledge and a passion for hip-hop culture, the two have written, directed, executive produced and edited three short films: the 2008 production, “Shades of Brooklyn Vol. 1”, “Eye Jammy (2006) ” and “rev’ o. lu, shun” (2001). Following in the subversive traditions of independent filmmakers the likes of Spike Lee, Haile Gerima, Akira Kurosawa & the Cohen Brothers, Sunshowah Films highlights and explores the conflicts and contradictions that play a part in the lives of everyday people.
Following the successful run of “Shades of Brooklyn Vol. 1” on HBO and Cinemax (2009-2011), the Sunshowah team have gone on to write 3 feature films, including “…The Harder They Fall”, which is in pre-production and slated to start shooting in the fall.
Dahkil’s Bio
Dahkil Hausif works as a professional film editor for Spot Welders NY, editing commercials, TV shows, documentaries, music videos and web films for clients such as Converse, Microsoft, ESPN, Delta, Puma and the PBS TV series Avec Eric. In 2010 he was recognized by Boards Magazine as one of the top young editors in the advertising industry, and in 2011 he was selected by the AICP as a judge for their 2011 AICP Show.
Dahkil is a community activist, working with the social-conscious fashion brand Coup D’état Brooklyn, helping with their “Teach The Babies” initiative, helping children paint and serving as a panelist in community open forums. He’s also worked with many local organizations, such as the Empowerment project, speaking to teenagers about positive relationships between themselves and others; “The Stoop”, talking to teenagers about careers in filmmaking; he also worked as a counselor for the Ragamuffin Day Camp in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, working with 14 to 16-year-old boys; and he’s served as an adviser for the Miss BAPP, an organization helping teenage girls in the community.
Daoud Abeid’s life mantras are the “Chosen Choose Themselves” and “Live To Change Something”. As a man he seeks to represent freedom, justice, equality, truth, love and righteousness through his actions and works. Daoud is an award winning filmmaker, graphic designer and educator. In all that he does, Daoud chooses to live a life that reflects his understanding of self and is inspired by youth because he believes that “children live truth” and they remind him that “many of us let our life experiences lead us astray from our true selves”. On the flip side, Daoud recognizes that he is an elder in his community and sees it as his responsibility to do what he can to TEACH THE BABIES and prepare them to face the challenges of this world. Daoud is co-founder and artistic director of the lifestyle brand coup d’etat Brooklyn, currently he teaches film production and media literacy workshops in NYC high schools and after school programs, he speaks on panels organized for college and high school students, he is one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Artist Collective- developing pathways for other local artist to mentor and interact with the youth of Brooklyn, and he is working on executing a rights of passage leadership program for young urban men.,
