Here we go.
In the plush grounds of The Mayfair Hotel, tucked away in the profusely overheated Salon room (take note, Mayfair Hotel: put the god damn heating down, it was like the Sahara in there..), LFF hosted a relatively informal Afternoon Tea session with a couple of fantastic Directors.
A delightful range of herbal teas and coffee were available along with some amazing sandwiches (I helped myself to two), mini brownies and macaroons. Tiny PR girls manically wondered around the room with their clip boards asking for names and publications from the press.
'The Film Tree - Natasha Saifolahi'. 'Sorry umm you're not on the list...(a pause for what seemed like an eternity) oh yes here you are, you're just under freelance because your email address wasn't connected to your publication, so I didn't realise!".
Ouch.
The tiny lady asked me to wait at the bar and so I did helping myself to an unusually large mug of black coffee and a brownie - I could see Desiree sat on the table about two meters ahead being interviewed by Persians - being Persian myself it was very obvious they were Persian. Us Persians have a way of spotting other Persians. It's almost like we have a radar. My sister says it's something to do with how we walk. I'm not so sure.
I've been getting over a flu and thought I was on the mend but the tube journey itself was challenging. Must power through. As I got closer to the table where Desiree was seated (the Persian press had eventually departed), I began to sweat profusely, what am I doing here? I am not even prepared, mentally, spiritually and certainly not physically. The caffeine fears had hit me teamed up with the vulnerable flu person I had become these past couple of days. It was probably the coffee. Along with the sugar from that brownie..must have pushed me over the edge.
I managed to pull myself together and sort my hair out (it was wonderfully straight and sleek when I left the house but had morphed into an afro due to the intense heat). As I approached Desiree rather abruptly, she was taking a mouthful of her cake - when I apologised for interrupting, she kindly said it's fine - so I sat down to begin what you may want to call an interview but since listening to the voice recorder post-interview, it was me rambling on trying to find a hook, a connection to befriend this super cool Director who's film I absolutely fell in love with. Read my review on Appropriate Behavior by clicking here.
For my first ever interview and considering I had the flu and a body temperature of 109, I think I did okay. I hope you enjoy reading!
FT: First of all congratulations on the film, I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it, being Persian myself, it was such a pleasure to watch and I identified with your character in many ways - can you tell me how the script came about and about the shooting process.
DA: Thank you. So I was making my web series (The Slope) and I knew I wanted to make something inexpensive and that was comedy so I thought that was something I could handle for my first feature. At the time I was dealing with the aftermath of a break up and having come out to my Iranian family and I wanted to inject those theemes into a narrative but then take real liberty in the narrative so thats how that film happened.
FT: Being a creative, did you find that to be quite therapeutic?
DA: Yeah. I mean I always like to deal with subject matter that's personal to me.. that's just my way of interacting with the world, I think that's just a a sickness I have that I need to keep the dialogue going. So that's always been my personality. I mean I like to leave therapy to the therapist office, I don't think its been my therapy but I feel like first and foremost you're thinking about your audience and about entertainment.
FT: What I found so fascinating is your film is a coming of age tale explored with the medium of culture and how that can be quite problematic especially when you're gay/bi - I was quite nervous how you'd handled the cultural aspect, as a consequence of your sexuality and coming out, are there any elements in the culture you feel stand offish about?
DA: Sorry..what was the question again?
FT: Sorry I am babbling..
DA: No you're not babbling! (Said very sincerely)
FT: (laughing..) Sorry. How do you feel about the issue of Persian guilt, is this something you've experienced and do you think it's leaked into your film and lead character.
DA: Yes but I think we, when I say we, I mean my Producer and I, we both worked on the script. I think we chose to make her head strong and not at all guilty - I mean, I personally have a LOT of guilt but it was important to me to illustrate a person who was first and foremost true to herself and lived almost a double life, and did that claiming to be for the sake of her parents, trying to protect them, so clearly she has guilt but in other aspects in her life she doesn't have any guilt at all (pauses) But definitely.. there is SO much guilt. I think there is guilt in Persian community to be (pauses) I was going to say 'selfish' but I don't mean 'selfish' in a negative sense, I mean taking care of your needs and your desires and in my parents generation (unfortunately the recording was interrupted with a mobile phone signal so I couldn't make out a line or two - unfortunate as this was the most interesting part of the entire interview!!!) ..... (continued) anything you do for yourself is secondary to what you feel you obliged to be.
FT: Completely understand that. Although my upbringing was slightly different, my mother is a Buddhist and a practicing Psychotherapist and my dad left his cultural connections in Iran a long time ago after he left pre-revolution...
DA: Whoaaa..that's awesome.
FT: So, the next question is the dreaded question: Lena Dunham. How do you feel about people comparing you to her?
DA: It's certainly not a dreaded question -I actually think its a huge compliment and I'm a big fan of her work and I should be so lucky to be compared to her..We have different lives and background, the fact our work is personal, I totally see the parallels, the reason I am not offended by this question or feel weird about it because I know we are telling very different stories and we are different people with different back stories. It's funny to me because the connotation to the question is "we already have a Lena, there is no room". That's when its a little odd to answer the question because I sometimes wonder if its made with the implication with the you know, been there done that, its been said before.
FT: I think that's a gender thing. I think if you were men and Lena was a Liam, it wouldn't be the case. But you know, that's a shame but something women in the industry have to battle with daily.
DA: I agree, exactly. There are so many incredible female driven stories that have been coming out in the past few years and audiences have been interested to see all of them. So I say great, you know, more comparisons are fine as long as it brings people to the theaters as long as people stay investing in these stories and we are able to make them then that's great.
FT: Do you think you will always stick to comedy or do you think you will go down the drama route?
DA: Yeah, I like comedy and drama - I never pick one or the other. My next feature has dramatic elements but its very funny and in my life I identify mostly as a comedian. That's my way of interacting with the world, to try to be funny.
FT: Is your new feature set in New York?
DA: Nooo (said in a playful inquisitive tone)
FT: London?
DA: Yeah ha! No I wish, I would love that! I have two projects right now, one is an adaptation of a young adult novel, its set in Montana, USA and the other project is based in New York.
FT: So you were born and raised in New York - did you visit London often?
DA: Yes I did - I did a year abroad in college at Queen Mary University - I love London and my Producer lives here so I come every six months to spend time with her. We did the colour correction in London , we also did the finance here and I wrote a lot of the script here. I see London as a second home to me. I love it here, I plan to come back here to work on the next script.
FT: When I watched your film, Frances Ha! and GIRLS, I feel like I've been let in on a 'hip' secret, wait, 'hip' makes me sound like a grandma but it feels like I'm let in on a secret about the "cool" places in New York like Brooklyn. It's very alien to me because I've only visited Manhattan once when I was fifteen. The area and the culture translates really well in your film, I pick up on the general culture of the area even though I've never visited - do you think you'll always set your films in Brooklyn?
DA: Thank you. No - I think the stories that have been personal to me were based in the neighbourhoods that I lived in. I was shooting in my home so I was shooting what I knew but I would like to be more ambitious and ideally, if I am able to raise more money, up my budget for my next work try to get outside of my back yard.
(note: during this moment, one of the tiny PR ladies walked past us and gently touched my shoulder - I thought to myself, how lovely, a supportive gesture, was my anxiety that obvious? I smiled at her and focused back on my interview It was only when she came back a second later asking me to wrap the interview up did I realise what was going on..)
FT: Okay, I need to wrap up - that's it from me. Thank you so much for your time. It was so lovely to meet you and good luck with your next projects.
DA: Thank you, it was lovely to meet you.
From my 15 minutes with Desiree Arkhavan it's very clear just how immensely perceptive she is - she has a certain solemn essence to her which is particularly intriguing and at times baffling - She was ready to engage in conversation and give honest and interesting answers. Certainly one to watch.
We are very pleased that UK film distributor, Peccadillo Pictures have picked up Appropriate Behavior and it'll have a general release across selected cinemas in early 2015.
Naturally, I forgot to take a selfie of Desiree and I - the only picture I did take was of the delicious offerings from LFF to us press.
What an amazing spread... I'll certainly be attending an LFF Afternoon Tea Session next year and next time, I will be better prepared, with clear thought out questions, no flu and I SHALL leave with a selfie.
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