Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Keya Kayatian
Emma McIntyre/WireImage; courtesy of subject
“My Rep and Me” is a show where salespeople and clients from the same historically marginalized background highlight the importance and benefits of diverse representation and the chemistry and business benefits of special connections. This is a recurring feature on Culture Shift, where we discuss.
UTA partner Keya Kayatian and actress and director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, both originally from Iran, left the country under somewhat traumatic circumstances. Kayatian fled the Islamic revolution as a child with her parents, while Ebrahimi clashed with the conservative government in 2008 and was blacklisted. and imprisonment. Now based in France, she has rebuilt her career and in 2022 won her first Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as a journalist investigating a series of murders targeting sex workers. It was an Iranian performer. holy spider.
It was at the 2023 Sundance premiere of Ebrahimi’s latest film. shaderIn the film, she plays an Australian immigrant mother who decides to escape an abusive marriage and finally meets Kayatian. His roster already included successful Persian clients such as director Asghar Farhadi and writer Marjan Satrapi (persepolis) and inheritanceAriane Moeed.
as shader In the film, which opens this weekend courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, Kayatian and Ebrahimi explore the mutual benefits of their working relationship, the small but growing Persian community in the film industry, and the challenges women face. He spoke about the urgency of creating art and telling stories that speak to dangerous situations. In their hometown.
How did you come to work together?
Kayatian: we met at a party shader At Sundance [in 2023]. I represent Noura Niasari, who wrote and directed the film. shaderI’ve been a fan of Saar ever since I saw him. holy spider And I knew her work and background.
Ebrahimi:Me too. Keya is very well known within the community, especially due to her Persian background. And Noora was always like this, even before Sundance. “You have to meet Keya. He’s a great guy and a great agent.” I also learned about him and Keya from UTA, where he represents Marjane Satrapi and Asghar Farhadi. From the first moment we met, it felt as if we had known each other for a long time. Perhaps it comes from us being Persian.
Kayatian: We ended up dancing together that night. For the first time at Sundance, Persian music was played at the afterparty. shader My brother, mother, nephew, and sister-in-law were with me at the premiere, Noura and her mother were there, and Zah was there, and we all got to dance Iranian style at this big opening night party. Ta. shader At the Sundance Film Festival.
Ebrahimi: It felt like a family.
When you started, how common was it to find fellow Persians in the industry?
Kayatian: I’ve been at UTA for about 28 years, and when I started working in Hollywood, I was one of the only Iranians. If you’re the only one in a field, you can’t help but feel like an outsider, so you really want to find other people with similar backgrounds to connect with. I remember when I was a kid seeing people like Firouz Zahedi, whose photo was published. vanity fair And I thought, “Wow, he’s Iranian and he’s in the entertainment industry.”That’s why it was so important to have someone to look up to when I started. [important].
Ebrahimi: When I arrived in France, there was no one to help me.Now my best friend, Golshifte [Farahani], arrived six months after me.Even in her Hollywood projects [Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies opposite Leonardo DiCaprio], she felt alone. we needed each other.We needed to hold hands and just move on [from Iran] together.
Mr. Zar, what does it mean to your career to have someone who understands your cultural background?
Ebrahimi: What I share with Keya is very different from what I share with Laurent Grégoire or Georg. [Georgi], a French and German agent. It’s good that they have an outside perspective. I really appreciate that because sometimes they see things that I can’t see. But Keya, right from the beginning, from our first discussion at the Sundance party when I talked about my story and the movie based on it. [Honor of Persia] — felt he understood everything. He didn’t have to explain much. This is a very tough industry and there are moments when you feel like you’re doing all this work for nothing and no one sees and understands you. Even if they say they’ll do it and try hard, they end up not doing it. I feel very lucky to have this team around me. Keya is like the final piece of the puzzle. Since we started working together, he has given me hope that I can further advance in my career. Probably because he understands more than others.
Kayati: At UTA, we work in teams. [Ebrahimi’s team includes] Billy Lazarus, Houston Costa, Jessica Canter [in the independent film group]By the way, he is also Iranian.
Keya, what do you get out of working with clients you can personally relate to?
Kayatian: Really strong women have always been present in my life, starting with my mother and including many of the artists I represent, like Zah, Noora, Marjane. I feel strongly that what Saar is bringing to the table is something we really need to hear right now, especially considering the women’s movement in Iran. [I’m gratified to help share] The beauty of the people and culture. It’s like when people eat Persian food for the first time and are amazed at how delicious it is.many people have seen persepolis He also talked about the cultural impact the book had. It is taught in school. And as a gay man, I’ve seen the same thing happen to clients I represent, like Ron Niswaner. Philadelphia — It was a great moment for culture to look at gay people — and travel companionIt also really influenced things culturally last year. That’s what I got personally. I can see people’s eyes really opening up in a broader sense to the diversity around us.
When it comes to the political landscape faced by women in or from Iran, how does being familiar with this kind of cultural landscape help guide clients like Saar?
Ebrahimi: Great question.
Kayatian: Some of my clients have taken on projects that are risky propositions on a personal level, potentially putting their families and loved ones at risk, but I think artists take risks. And Saar is certainly a true artist in that sense. I inform my clients about all the different elements that may be involved in a project from inception to release, and advise them on what to consider at each point, but the decision is always the client’s. The joy I get is seeing someone make a decision, be proud of it, and see it play out in the right way. At the same time, my job as an agent is to jump in if something goes wrong, protect my clients, and make sure they understand that I will do everything in my power to help them no matter what happens. there is.
Can you tell us how the Persian community within the industry is changing or growing?
Ebrahimi：It’s a very small thing, but it’s still this pressure. [in Iran]This year in particular, I feel like an increasing number of people, at least those involved in the film industry, are moving to Europe and America. I have many friends in the industry who are over 40 years old. Sometimes I think it’s too late to change your hometown or country and start a different life from scratch, but I think we give them some kind of inspiration. I have heard many times from people from different cultures and countries, not just Iranians, that my award at Cannes has inspired them. They just thought, “You can do it.” Seeing Keya where he currently sits in his career gives me hope that I can move forward too.
Kayati: Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky enough to meet artists like Saar and Marjane.I remember going to Cannes and reading it. persepolis Comic book, look at the poster persepolis And then I found out that Kathy Kennedy was actually making an animated film based on it. [Celluloid Dreams founder] Hengameh Panahi, who passed away last year, was the sales agent for that film and was Iranian, and I suddenly felt that there was an artist coming out with a similar background to me. persepolis won the Jury Prize and Saar was in Cannes. holy spider Having won an award, it’s really, really special to be able to see a culture where a film is celebrated outside of its own country and see artists from that background emerge.
I co-chair the MENA & WANA Alliance with Alma Har’el. [film] school. In fact, we are the alliance with the most members outside of Los Angeles and the United States. So it’s a small group, but it’s growing.I was very happy that Saar was able to go to the new member reception in London, and since I am involved in the MENA & WANA alliance, Dilucia also attended. [Barrera]manage international [members relations] At the academy, I was so excited to meet her and make connections that I might not have had before. We are also really grateful to all our allies. There are many executives who are not from this culture but are genuinely interested in and recognize the talent. It’s people who have mentored me in my career, people I can mentor now, or colleagues who know me and no longer have certain misconceptions about Iranian culture. Yes, there is a lot of work to do, but we are in a position to do the work.
To recommend a client/representative pairing for My Rep and Me, please email rebecca.sun@thr.com.
