the legend (stay true to your beliefs)

Kayvan Mashayekh immigrated to Houston, Texas at age 11 from Iran. He graduated from Rice University in 1989 with a BA in Economics and Managerial Studies. After taking a year off to start an entrepreneurial business venture, he attended South Texas College of Law and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1993. He began practicing as a criminal defense lawyer in Houston, but after three years, quit the practice of law and enrolled at the New York Film Academy to pursue his lifelong dream of writing, producing and directing.

Mashayekh's first feature film, which he wrote, produced and directed was called "The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam." Shot in five cities and three continents in a remarkable 37 days of actual filming (primarily in Bukhara and Samarkand, Uzbekistan), the independently financed, non-studio backed film had an international cast including world renown actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Rade Serbedizja, and German mega star, Moritz Bleibtreu.

The film commenced its theatrical run platforming in movie theaters across the US beginning in June 2005. It ended up playing in 14 US cities on the art house circuit for nearly one year. In addition to its Box Office success, the film raised $181,000 for Children's and Cancer Charities in Houston, New York and London, England as a direct result of its non-profit screenings.

The film was an Official Selection at the 2005 Moscow International Film Festival. In 2006, the film received two prestigious Golden Lioness Awards for Excellence in Directing and Costume Design from the World Academy of Arts, Literature and Media in Budapest, Hungary. "The Keeper" screenplay has also been selected for the permanent script collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Additionally, the Mayor of the City of Houston proclaimed July 26th, 2005 "Keeper Day" in a public ceremony at City Hall. This unique honor was in commemoration of Mashayekh's outstanding contribution to the cultural diversity of the City as direct result of its charitable gift to Texas Children's Cancer Center of $91,000 from the screening of the film at its Premiere.

Mashayekh's follow-up project, "Batting for Palestine," was the winner of the Relativity Media Special Prize of $25,000 at the 2007 Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi. Mashayekh was one of six filmmakers from around the world invited to pitch his project to top Hollywood financiers and decision makers. As of 2009, he is an apprentice to legendary two time Oscar winning producer, Branko Lustig (Gladiator/Schindler's List) and is helping Lustig develop a slate of studio grade projects.

Mashayekh also serves as The Middle East and North Africa Representative for the Producers Guild of America. In that capacity, he is proactive in initiating and nurturing relationships with producers and film commissions in the talent rich region to create opportunities for cross cultural film projects with American producers.

bio do realizador no imdb.

um realizador fotógrafo de causas.

gosto de causas, gosto.

entrevista:
Darius KADIVAR: What led you to choose Khayyam rather than another Persian Poet as the hero of your film ?
Kayvan Mashayekh: I chose Khayyam because he personifies all that is Persian to me. Growing up in America since the age of 11, my father quoted poetry as a tool to teach me lessons in life. I didn't care much about it all at the time, because I wanted to be American and forget my past. As a young boy from a country which seized American Hostages it was quite sad. Now, at age 36 and 10 years after the death of my father, I recognize the wisdom of his words to me. Don't ever forget who you are and where you came from.
Khayyam placed the concept of reason above faith and to me no matter who you are and what your faith is, it's important to remember that balance in life.
DK: Khayyam and Sabbah are close friends before destiny opposes them. Beyond their common love interest for a girl called Darya what really separates them is Khayyam's humanistic and spiritual approach of God to Sabbah's zealous hatred for anything that opposes his ideological control of religion. Were you aware when you started working on your film that this duality between reason and fanaticism would somehow resonate in a post 9/11 world ?
KM: I wanted to make a timeless film that seamlessly blended past and present together. 9/11 almost destroyed me. I was in Morocco scouting locations for the film when it happened and when I returned to America, all financial backers withdrew support and no one in the film business would even talk to me about it for one year.
I tried to stay true to one message throughout my whole film which is about the journey of a young boy in search of his own past. I believe that all of us are "Keepers" of stories in our past that make our lives more meaningful in the future.
DK:  Your film is an independent film, what were the difficulties in gathering an international cast and mobilizing the resources for such an ambitious project particularly the fact that you shot in Uzbekistan where there is no film industry so to speak.?
KM: Ambitious and difficult are two words which I heard quite often...along with impossible. But my father's dying words to me carried me through the deepest moments of negativity throughout my project. "Be strong and never give up in what you believe." I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life as I saw him fade away from brain cancer ten years ago.
The cast came together because they shared my belief and vision for the story and I was grateful and very privileged for their support.
DK: Your film was presented at the Cannes film market what was the reaction of the professionals to your film and did you find a distributor ?
KM: We are in the middle of the market at this moment with more screenings. So far, the reaction has been positive. We have been very low key in finding the right partners to represent us as sales agents and distributors because we want to make sure the film is at it's best before presenting it to audiences. We have held test screenings and focus groups and discovered that the film has been more favorably received by women more than men due to its delicate message. This helps us with our distribution strategy so that we can get this film in front of audiences who are underserved and are hungry for a film such as ours. Positioning a film is as daunting a task as actually making one.
DK: Were you tempted to shoot your film in Iran and do you hope to show this film in your homeland one day?
KM: I was discouraged to shoot this film in Iran by very prominent people within the Iranian Film Community. Ironically, those same people are now thrilled that I listened to their words of advice because the film has been actually completed without unnecessary governmental red tape and interference. I would love to show this film in Iran someday. It would be a great privilege for me.
DK:  Vanessa Redgrave gives a small but charismatic performance in your film what was it like to work with her and did she like your script?
KM: Vanessa's performance elevates my film to another level. Her gracious support and beautiful performance is the essence of why this film was so special to me. As a first time director, it was a dream come true to work with a living legend. The only reason she accepted the role was that she believed in the message of the story so strongly.
DK: What advice would you give to other aspiring directors who would want to launch themselves in a cinematic adventure?
KM: Stay true to your beliefs, ask for help and LISTEN to the people who care about you.

daqui.

e aqui, na NPR.