First it has proven that a movie about Persian historical characters is marketable and can seduce an  international audience. Second It has also been a milestone for the Diaspora Cinema for casting  Hollywood Legends (Vanessa Redgrave, Diane Baker, Rade Serbedzija)  in a Persian-American movie. And thirdly Masheyekh’s film experience is one that should inspire other aspiring Iranian Diaspora directors that the key to success in a cinematographic project is stamina, passion and most importantly faith.

If financial considerations and strategic marketing and distribution policies are all essential parameters that need to be considered in the long run for every movie that makes it to the theaters, what counts most is the emotional and human investment that makes the experience worthwhile for all involved in its making. The story behind the making ofThe Keeper , from the artwork on the sets and costumes and the challenges faced by the crew in directing it are now available on the DVD release. This has been an opportunity for me to interview the director and two of his crew members Sep Riahi (actor/ co-producer) and Michelle Milosh (production designer) whose support and contribution were essential in this film project. We met in Paris at theCafé de Deux Magots in Saint-Germain des Près on the Crews return from Budapest.

Darius KADIVAR (DK): It took six years to get to this final stage, the DVD release of The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam, which is superbly and very professionally designed. It should be a relief to see it completed?

Kayvan Mashayekh (KM):  Yes, it was a true labor of love that took seven grueling years of my life to complete, but I am very grateful to the hundreds of individuals who toiled and sacrificed towards its eventual completion.

DK: What was the greatest challenge in the making this movie?

KM:  The greatest challenge I faced was the initial negativity towards glorifying a Middle Eastern character on film in the post 9/11 era.  However, I believed all along in its long term prospects of educating the masses about the importance of cultural preservation and bringing positive imagery to an area of the world that desperately needs to have its intellectual heroes championed.

DK: How many people have seen the movie to date?

KM:  I really don’t know but estimating from our theatrical run and DVD launch so far, it is well over 100,000 people.

DK: What has been the reaction of non Iranians to your film?

KM:  Non-Iranians were very enthusiastic about the film because it was perceived by a majority of them as a wonderful antidote to the daily images they receive in the media portraying Iran and the rest of the region as evil and full of hate.

DK: Michelle tell us a little about your work as Production Designer on this film, What does that consist of on a movie of this scale? 

Michelle Milosh  (MM):  Early in pre-production I worked out color palettes for each character, and palettes for the sets. Preplanning, designing sets, creating models was so important because we had limited time. The sets really act as another layer revealing a character’s persona. Even in our present day sets little things go into the sets to help tell the story. The Art Director, Giovanni Natalucci and Set Decorator, Lou Trabbie were a very important part of the Art Department team In putting the total look of the film together.

DK: What were your inspirations and research based upon in creating  the sets and costumes ?

MM:  Research on 11thC Persian arts from both books and museums. Museums especially because you are actually looking at real pieces of history from that

Time period. The collections at LACMA, The Met in NY, The British Museum, The V & A in London, and The Louvre…every time I would see a fragment of fabric, or a piece of pottery with painted figures & horses, I would think , oh here is a tiny piece of the puzzle, this is what life looked like at that time. A particular fabric fragment from the V & A , became the inspiration for Malikshah’s Lion Symbol, I had fabric embroidered in Uzbekistan for flags, the interior tent and banquet scenes…the fabric they made was so beautiful I couldn’t resist designing a gown around it for the Persian Golden Lioness Awards®! Jane Robinson was our talented costume designer who also researched the time Period and won the award for costumes.

DK: Sep you were both co-producer and actor in Kayvan’s film. This must have given you a unique perspective. Is it difficult to combine both?

DK: You all worked in difficult conditions for a first movie, amongst others that your subject was not that welcomed by investors in a post September 11^Th Hollywood. What gave you the stamina to continue?

(KM), (MM), (SR):  Simply stated, it was love.  Our stamina came from our collective belief in the project along with a “never say die” attitude in the face of unimaginable obstacles, namely shooting the film in two stages with a war going on 200 miles south of Uzbekistan (in Afghanistan) where we were filming.  Fortunately, my core team of colleagues stuck with me through the darkest moments of the production and I am very fortunate to be sitting here today reflecting on it.  We all believed in its message so much.  Thankfully our audience has been most appreciative of our efforts. (KM)