Directory Profile

Seth Koury began his film career by moving to Beirut, Lebanon to shoot a feature documentary about the diverse music scene that thrives in spite of the tensions from the civil war. His other feature documentary subjects include a college wrestler born with one leg who won the NCAA championship in 2011, and recently, an LA muralist who inspired unity and social justice during the pandemic and political tensions of 2020. His short documentary projects have taken him around the world including, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Morocco, Spain, France, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Japan. He has won several awards for film including, Best Director and Best Cinematographer at the Monaco International Film Festival.

In addition to documentaries, Seth has written and directed several short fiction films, directed 360 and VR films, produced commercials for international brands, worked as a cinematographer for independent films, collaborated on musical scores, acted in independent film and television, and written several screenplays. In addition to film, he contributes to technology research and development projects to help make AI more inclusive. Many of the AI projects include writing original scenarios and directing professional actors to collect data on emotion and contextual behavior. Other projects include identifying inherent bias in data sets and algorithms.

Seth has always been in touch with his Lebanese heritage and often uses characters in his films to break down stereotypes or go against expectations. Although his Arabic is rough, he prides himself on cooking authentic Lebanese food. In what seems like a past life he was an amateur wrestling champion and amateur boxing champion making it to the quarterfinals in the US Olympic Trials for boxing. Years ago he competed in underground mixed martial arts competitions and unsanctioned boxing events. Currently in his spare time he teaches boxing and mixed martial arts at the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will occasionally train a professional fighter for bouts held under Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Seth taught journalism at ASU and film at UCLA before joining the directing faculty at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is currently developing a feature screenplay to direct and finishing his dissertation for a PhD in Mass Communication.