About the Film
About
Davenport and The Sheikh
DAVENPORT & THE SHEIKH is a buddy adventure film based on a true story set in 1905 – 1906 starring two unlikely friends: Homer Davenport, an American Newspaper Cartoonist, and Sheikh Achmet Haffez, a Bedouin Sheikh of the Anazeh Tribe, who was the Diplomatic Liaison of the Bedouin Tribes to The Ottoman Empire. Homer was on a quest to find, purchase and bring back to America PUREBRED Arabian mares. Sheikh Achmet owned the legendary “WAR MARE” a purebred Arabian mare named Wadduda, who had carried Halim Bey, the Sheikh of Sheiks of the Anazeh into one-on-one combat with the Sheikh of Sheikhs of the Shammar and emerged victorious.
By the time Davenport arrived in Aleppo, Syria, he was exhausted and depressed. His quest, up to that point, had encountered extreme heat, disease, Turkish spies who confiscated their rifles, bandits and a coach in which he was riding on a mountain road plunging over a cliff. But in Aleppo, Davenport met Sheikh Achmet. The two men instantly became friends; Sheikh Achmet gifted Wadduda to Davenport and agreed to go with him into the deep desert, regardless of the fierce wars that were then being fought in the desert.
This film is based on a true story. It will attract a broad audience, from all lovers of action adventures who will like this one. Even more, it will attract horse lovers. The central motivation of Davenport was to obtain Purebred Arabians Mares. Davenport’s passion for Arabian horses and also his affection for dogs shines through in DAVENPORT & THE SHEIKH.
Key Talent
SCREENPLAY
Aaron Guzzo is a hot young writer. Aaron’s stage play Tesla: the Musical was performed at the Barnsdale Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, California and received rave reviews. Mr. Guzzo is a graduate of Columbia College of Chicago’s Entertainment Program, where his writing talents came to the attention of Producer Paul Husband.
ASHTON SMITH
He is known as the “King of Movie Trailers”, Emmy-winner Ashton Smith, whose credits in addition to scores of Movie trailers, include narrating National Geographic’s TV series, Seconds from Disaster as well as the TV movie Tora Tora Tora: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor has read the screenplay, loves it, and has committed to perform in the film as the narrator.
CO-DIRECTOR SCOTT TREES
Scott Trees has known Arabian horses since his birth. His mother was the distinguished Arabian horse breeder and international Arabian horse judge, Harriett Trees. He grew up competing internationally riding Arabian horses, including, sometimes, against his Co-director and long-time friend, Paul Husband. Mr. Trees’ artistic work includes equine videography and photography as well as videography and photography for commercial clients such as McDonalds and Shell Oil. His masterful use of light and brilliant aesthetics in composition have made Scott’s work in photography and videography internationally acclaimed.
Scott lived in Dubai for 10 years while serving clients including HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other UAE Royals as an Equine Photographer and videographer. He has now returned to the United States, where he continues to create works of visual art, plus Scott also teaches videography and photography in workshops in the US and abroad, notably on his Great American Horse Drive in Colorado, and the Sombrero Ranch Horse Drive in Colorado. Recently, he shot and taught in Portugal, focusing on the Lusitano horse breed, native to Portugal.
CO-DIRECTOR - PRODUCER PAUL HUSBAND
Paul Husband is a practicing equine, tax and entertainment lawyer, recognized in the peer-reviewed Thompson-Reuters survey as a Super Lawyer, seven years in a row, from 2017 to the present. He was a licensed talent agent from 1995 to 2000. He is legal counsel to the Ron Diamond’s annual Animated Show of Shows compilations of animated shorts. He has served as a Director and General Counsel of ASIFA – Hollywood, the International Animated Film Society. Like Scott Trees, Mr. Husband grew up in a horse breeding family, where he fed horses, cleaned stalls, showed horses and he also handled the advertising. His family’s horse business bred Khemosabi, a four-time National Champion, and sire of 1,265 foals. Mr. Husband wrote a cartoon strip to promote Khemosabi, collaborating with equine artist and animator Karen Haus Grandpre. That cartoon strip was on exhibit at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky for decades.
He believes that this story of Davenport and The Sheikh is a rich adventure, with depth, texture and a story that demonstrates in action the good that can happen when two men of different cultures and background become friends.
COMPOSER SCOTT LASKY
Scott Lasky is the founder and conductor of The Famous Players Orchestra, a non-profit group dedicated to public performances of the music from the scores of silent films. The silent film era was essentially 1880 to 1920. Our film is set in 1904-1906, so Scott’s depth of experience with the music of this era enables him to locate and compose music that is genuine and appropriate to the time.
