Beginnings
Hammad Zaidi, a disabled kid with a rail-thin left arm, a useless hand, and a cowboy limp, watched a documentary on the clubbing of harp seals. All snow-white pups perished except for one called “The Lonely Seal.” The name stuck, as did Hammad’s intent to make the world a better place. A few decades and several charitable endeavors later, from limping door-to-door to wrangle donations for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in the 1970s to donating to his alma mater UCLA for 30 years and several multiple-year contributions to film festivals, including Slamdance, SXSW, Nashville, and the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee – Hammad’s mission has always been to do his part in making to the world a better place to live.
Hammad started judging festivals with Flickerfest in Bondi Beach, Australia, in 1997, a timeless experience where he and his fellow judges would dive into the ocean between screenings. From there, Hammad became a Judge, World Cinema Screener, Filmmaker Advisor, Panelist, Screenwriting Contest Founder/Judge, Program Curator, Screenwriting Award Creator, Advisory Board Member, and/or sponsor at several film festivals, including Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, and Nashville. Hammad then started the Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay and Music Festival in 2018.
In 2005, Hammad launched Lonely Seal Releasing, a distribution company that attends significant film markets and festivals to buy and sell cinema. The move made Hammad one of about 1,200 Priority Content Buyers worldwide.
MARKETS AND FESTIVALS ATTENDED
MARCHÉ DU FILM – CANNES, FRANCE
MIPCOM – CANNES, FRANCE
MIPTV – CANNES, FRANCE
EUROPEAN FILM MARKET – BERLIN, GERMANY
FILMART – HONG KONG, CHINA
TIFFCOM – TOKYO, JAPAN
AMERICAN FILM MARKET – SANTA MONICA, CA
CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
SXSW
TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Lonely Seal Streaming was built to keep our film festival going through the pandemic-related public closures of 2020. Now, we’re re-launching in early 2026. We welcome you to join our mission to “tell stories aching to be told.”
