By Kathy Uek/Daily News staff

Raouf Zaki returned to Temple Beth Am yesterday with his award-winning short film, “Santa Claus in Baghdad” which touched the hearts of the Brotherhood Breakfast crowd.

Based on a short story by Newton native Elsa Marston, the film helps dispel misconceptions about Iraqis.

Filmed in Egypt and Framingham, “Santa Claus in Baghdad” includes scenes shot in classrooms at Danforth Museum and a warehouse on Tripp Street.

Some of the scenes reminded Mona Dabbon of her days growing up in Egypt, before she left for America at age 14.

“It was interesting to see the correlation of the two countries and their cultures,” said Dabbon, a Framingham resident, who is writing a book about her life in Egypt.

Zaki said made the film so people could learn the positive aspects about Iraqi kids and the commonality of cultures.

“My vision of three years ago to get the book and study guide in schools and colleges is becoming a reality,” said Zaki, a native of Cairo.

Many in the breakfast crowd snapped up copies Zaki’s DVD, which he hopes schools and universities will use in their curriculum.

In four months about 150 public schools, including Holliston, have purchased the film. he said.

Zaki attributes the film’s success to guerilla marketing.

“Several colleges and universities including Cornell, Yale and Berkeley in California bought the film, and North Carolina incorporated the film into its curriculum,” said Zaki, a 1989 graduate of Boston University’s Broadcasting and Film program.

“It was amazing to see the family suffering while Saddam lived like a king,” said Michael Shapiro of Framingham.

After working in video production, Zaki launched RA Vision Productions. Previously he released “Shoot the Bird,” a black comedy short film and “Just your Average Arab,” a comedic satire about the anxieties of Arab American life after 9/11. Since the terrorist attacks Zaki says he has dedicated himself to developing films that bridge Western and Arabic cultures.