He followed this with several films including Stranger at the Gate, an Oscar-nominated short documentary executively produced by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Born in Schenectady, New York, Seftel graduated from Tufts University in the class of 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and having completed the required coursework in pre-medical sciences.
Subjects included composer Philip Glass, actress Kristin Chenoweth, actor Alan Cumming, Nobel-Prize winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, and author Francine Prose.
This series features many prominent Muslim figures, including AJ+ correspondent Dena Takruri, US Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, NYTimes bestselling author Reza Aslan, and founder and editor of Muslimgirl, Amani Al-Khatahbah, among many others.
The Secret Life of Muslims is what Flavorwire called “a blast of clarity and human in the face of so much fear-mongering.”[8] The series has been distributed by Vox, USA Today, CBS Sunday Morning, The Huffington Post, and Upworthy.
The humorous film originated when Maryland Public Television asked Seftel to make a fictional piece about indoor air quality for middle-school aged children.
[citation needed] After seeing the film Breaking the Mold, director Alexander Payne put Seftel in touch with John Cusack and Mark Leyner.
[citation needed] For This American Life, Seftel produced a 1997 radio documentary entitled Trek[13] about an exploration of race and friendship in post-apartheid South Africa.
In this mini-series produced for PBS, chef Lidia Bastianich and guests Stanley Tucci, Mo Rocca and Mario Batali explore how immigrants have preserved their culinary traditions.
[citation needed] In reality television, Seftel directed the first two seasons of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and received a National Emmy Award Nomination for his work on the series.