His script for the film '' Sweet Land '' , based on a short story by Will Weaver , was the only screenplay selected for the inaugural year of the Cyngus Emerging Filmmakers Institute . The film , which took him fifteen years to finance , was shot in 2005 around Chippewa County , Minnesota . It starred Alan Cumming , Ned Beatty , Elizabeth Reaser , Alex Kingston and John Heard . The film was the recipient of the 2005 Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the 13th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Ali Selim