Lingk2us: How did you become interested in making
motion pictures?
Nowrasteh: I was fascinated by movies as a kid, and
loved watching the behind the scenes programs. In high school, I would make little super 8 films and went on to win second place in the Kodak Young Filmmakers Festival. I
later applied to USC to go to film school, which got me to
L.A. And then, after five years of hustling screenplays it
started to break for me and I went on to work primarily as
a writer, but also as a producer and director on movies of
the week. I have been a re-write guy on features— lot's
of films where my name is not attached. And later when I
began doing projects for Showtime, I went on to directed
“The Day Regan Was Shot” which established me as a director. After that, it was just a matter of finding the right
feature project to do and The Stoning of Soraya proved
to be that one.
Lingk: What was the process like?
Nowrasteh: My family was originally from Iran. I lived
there as a child and spoke the language. I felt like it was
very important, that we did the film thematically, which
meant that it needs to be done in Farsi and with Iranian
actors. Also, I believed that it was important that the film's director understood the language, culture and people of
the region, so, I felt like I was the natural choice. My wife
and I wrote the script. She's also a screen writer. We have
always produced separately and this was the first thing
that we've ever collaborated on—and it was the right one.
Lingk: One of the reviews coming out called this a
daring act in film making. And in many ways you do indeed push the envelope. When you were shooting
it, did you feel like you were embarking on some-
thing that was truly important and endearing?
Nowrasteh: I think the subject itself is daring. No one
has ever done a film about a stoning, and most people
are afraid to approach the subject matter because of
all the political correctness and cultural sensitivities out
there (the whole Islam versus the west “thing”). So, I
did feel like we were treading on new territory in terms of
subject matter alone—which for me is the most important
thing. And yes, I knew its importance when I read the
book, and when I decided to go forward with it.
Lingk: And now with the political undertone taking
place in Iran, how do you feel as a story teller within
the very delicate political climate taking place? Do
you feel like you are bringing a message?
Nowrasteh: What we have here is a story that is timely, especially as events are unfolding in Iran via the elections,
the demonstrations and the desire for change taking place. This movie is about reform and about women's rights and injustice. Those demonstrators in Iran want reform and
that's about women's rights and healing and justice—so
yeah! It turned out to be very timely.
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