麻豆社

What is more important, story or character?
This question has dogged me since film school. Both are important.聽 Great stories have great characters and great characters make for great stories.

What made you first want to explore the subject?
My family left Iran after the Revolution.聽 I grew up listening to stories about the Shah and always wanted to make a film about him.聽聽 The problem was how to approach it differently (there are already some great films about the Shah)聽 and give it聽 contemporary resonance. 聽

In Ferdowsi's 'Book of Kings', I came across a story about a mythical King who ruled Iran for something like 134 years. One day while he's walking in his gar-dens, a div (devil) disguised as a courtier fawns over him, telling the King how great and glorious his reign is and how he should be ruling from the heavens. The King seizes on the idea and runs with it. He orders his men to build a golden throne and rears eagle chicks on lion's meat. When they are fully grown, powerful eagles, he ties one to each corner of his throne and hangs a piece of meat above their heads. As the birds flap their wings to get to the meat, the throne rises towards the heavens...but eagles are eagles. They soon tire and the King comes crashing down to earth.

This episode made me think of the Shah and the Party at Persepolis and threw up聽 an interesting angle for exploring his story.

How long did it take to get the film off the ground?
It was surprisingly quick. I was talking to Nick and Kate at Storyville at the time about the 麻豆社 buying my previous film, 'The Spaghetti Racket' when I first men-tioned the project. The next thing I knew I had 5,000 pounds and just over three weeks to cut a trailer and pitch the story at a film festival to potential backers. Af-ter the pitch,聽 the project聽 had a sort of momentum of its own, bullied along by Lawrence Elman at Amber Television who refused to let us flag.

What were you most surprised to learn in the course of production?聽
Just how big a party it really was, and that there鈥檚 a little Shah in all of us.

What have been the differences in reception to the film in countries it has now travelled to?
I'm curious to find out.

Which documentary has most inspired you?
There are so many it is hard to say. For this project聽 'Echoes of a Sombre Empire',聽 'When We Were Kings' and聽 'One Day in September'

Favourite Website/blog?
mentorless.com

Person you鈥檇 most like to interview (living or dead?)
God.

Best piece of filmmaking advice you鈥檝e ever been given?
For documentaries...'Come with the beggars, leave with the beggars.'

Best piece of filmmaking equipment you can鈥檛 live without?
My iPad and a hacked Panasonic GH2, a very unintimidating camera.

If money was no object, what is your dream documentary subject?
I'd like to make a documentary set in the future.

Favourite film of all time?
Once Upon a Time in America

Most difficult access?
The Islamic Republic of Iran.聽 It was so difficult it didn't happen.

Best recent read?
God's Wolf by Jeffrey Lee