Voting Station

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (1957- )
    Born in Egypt
    As 'Sam Bacile' wrote, directed and produced 'Innocence of Muslims' (2012)
    Release of film trailers dubbed in Arabic on YouTube triggered violent protests in several Middle Eastern nations (September, 2012)

Why he might be annoying:

    He had tax liens filed against his personal accounts and against a gas station he owned.
    He pleaded guilty to intent to manufacture methamphetamine (1997) and served a year in jail.
    He filed for bankruptcy (2000).
    He was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after pleading no contest to bank fraud charges relating to a check kiting scheme that netted $800,000 from victims (2010).
    He tried to deny being Sam Bacile, but AP reported that a cellphone number Bacile used for an interview matched Nakoula's.
    In an interview as Bacile, he falsely claimed to be Israeli and that the film was financed by donations from a hundred Jews. (Because if there's one thing guaranteed to calm down protests over an anti-Islamic film, it's announcing Jews were behind it.)
    One critic described 'Innocence of Muslims' as 'an obscenely inept vanity project' and 'far beneath any reasonable standard of movie-making.'
    The film's anti-Islamic references were overdubbed after filming.
    The cast and crew members complained that they had been deceived about the content of the film.
    His response to the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens was to blame the consulate's security system.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He provided the government with information about other members of the check kiting ring.
    He is a Coptic Christian and may have made the film in response to increased attacks in Egypt on Copts.
    Before making the film, he was warned, 'You're going to be the next Theo Van Gogh.'
    He received police protection after being identified as Bacile.
    In a display of warped logic, Iran's Ayatollah Hassan Sanei responded to the film by increasing the bounty on Salman Rushdie's head by $500,000, despite Rushdie having jack squat to do with the movie.
    Several intelligence sources believe that the consulate attack that killed Stevens had been planned in advance and was not a response to the film trailers.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 233 Votes: 59.23% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 48 Votes: 45.83% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 145 Votes: 53.79% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 398 Votes: 54.77% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 234 Votes: 54.27% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 189 Votes: 82.01% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 49 Votes: 97.96% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 173 Votes: 68.21% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 435 Votes: 57.47% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 446 Votes: 69.28% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 342 Votes: 80.99% Annoying