PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION
SHORT SYNOPSIS
In the stark face of unimaginable injustice, Saeed Malekpour was kidnapped while visiting his father on his deathbed in Iran only to be falsely targeted and kidnapped by the Iranian Regime. Facing life in imprisonment, Saeed bears inhumane torture, solitary confinement and is unable to communicate with his family. In a relentless mission led by his unwavering sister – who will stop at nothing to get her innocent brother home safe – Maryam emerges as the unsung hero who risks her life for the enduring power of love and the relentless pursuit of what's right.
KAVEH'S COMPASS
Inspired by the Rumi poem, “In Baghdad Dreaming of Cairo, In Cairo Dreaming of Baghdad”, this animation short explores the nature of meaning through the quest of a young wandered seeking fulfilment.
A surprise to many is that fact that this 13th century tale had the same archetypical story as The Alchemist! We feel it’s important to situate this story arc within his original Persian context.
The production design will be a blend of new wave generative, experimental animation pinned under a classical story structure. Something like a children’s story for adults.
To realize this dream, we’ve partnered with writer, Sosaan Bayani and story editor Pietro Schito.
Sosaan, an emotive storyteller and brilliant filmmaker with bits of her heart still in Tehran and Pietro Schito, founder of the popular YouTube channel, Write For Animation will be joining the writer’s room to sculpt this tale.
Animation short, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts & Toronto Arts Council.
Animation short, scripted, Canada, 2022
A VERY SHORT STORY
Synopsis: Maz Ghaderi is Persian, an artist, a filmmaker, and a new Dad. He is also very short. Which makes him seriously ponder a very tall question: Will his newborn son have to muddle through the same indignities of being short as he has? That is where Maz’s short-ness, his filmmaker-ness, and his dad-ness collide.
Being short has influenced Maz’s life in innumerable ways, yet he feels his worldview has been, well, overlooked.
So he is going to make a film about being short on behalf of the 2 billion men on Earth who have always been looked down upon. It is a tall order, but he is up for it.
Tone & style: “Funny with Brains” is an epitaph we all aspire to, and the film’s host Maz Ghaderi surely will have it etched on his tomb. He will also bring this saying to life in this Point-of-View film. His voice and interactions will drive the film, which will be humorous, self-deprecating but also clever, observant and enlightening. It will open the mind of the audience to thinking differently about what it’s like to come up short in our society.
Seeking funding & distribution.
Feature, unscripted, Canada, 2023
