Malik Hassan Sayeed is an American cinematographer, producer and director.
He has worked on films directed by Spike Lee and Hype Williams, and has also contributed to music videos including Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor", Kanye West's "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx, and Beyoncé's "Formation".
Education Sayeed graduated from Howard University in 1990 with a degree in Film Studies. Notably, he studied under leading member of the L.A. Rebellion Haile Gerima. He also attended the Maine Photographic Workshops.
Career Sayeed was a second unit director of photography on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and Andrew Niccol's Gattaca and was the cinematographer for Hype Williams' Belly and Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy, Girl 6, He Got Game and Clockers.
Sayeed had served on the electrical crews for Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Crooklyn before Lee promoted him to director of photography for Clockers. Prior to this promotion, Sayeed had worked on music videos with Hype Williams and television commercials with Lee. Three years after Clockers, he served as director of photography for Belly. As of 2023, this was his last dramatic feature to be released. Though Sayeed has continued working in music, notably directing or serving as cinematographer for videos like Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," D'Angelo's "Left & Right," and Beyonce's "Formation" and "Brown Skin Girl."
After working with Arthur Jafa (cinematographer for Crooklyn) on Seven Songs for Malcolm X, Sayeed and Jafa started to develop a closer relationship. In 2014, Sayeed along with Jafa and Elissa Blount Moorhead launched TNEG, an independent film studio and production company with the goal of creating a "Black cinema as culturally, socially, and economically central to the 21st century as was Black music to the 20th century."
Filmography Film Year Title Director 1995 ClockersSpike Lee 1996 Girl 6 1997 Cold Around the Heart John Ridley1998 The Players Club Ice Cube He Got Game Spike Lee Belly Hype Williams 2025 After the HuntLuca Guadagnino 2026
Television Year Title Director Notes 1995 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Spike LeeJeff Winn Episode "Coach/The Longest Season/The Money Trail" 1998 John Leguizamo: FreakSpike Lee Stand-up comedy 2011 Da Brick TV pilot
Documentary film Year Title Director Notes 2000 The Original Kings of Comedy Spike Lee 2001 Life and Debt Stephanie Black With Kyle Kibbe, Richard Lannaman and Alex Nepomniaschy 2014 Dreams Are Colder Than Death Arthur Jafa With Hans Charles and Arthur Jafa 2015 The Reflektor Tapes Kahlil Joseph With Lol Crawley and Autumn Durald Arkapaw TBA Compton's Finest Cle Sloan
Awards In 1999, Sayeed was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award: Best Cinematography for Belly (1998) He has won MTV Video Music Awards for "Formation" and "Brown Skin Girl" amongst other music videos.
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