AREZOU آرزو

A film by Sophia Moghaddam-Kiapos AREZOU TRANSLATES TO WISH OR DESIRE IN THE …

THIS FILM IS AN HOMAGE TO THE IRANIAN NATIONAL BALLET COMPANY, A FORCE OF GREAT ARTISTRY DURING ITS REIGN. THE COMPANY WAS DESTROYED DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1979.

SOME MEMBERS WERE EXILED FROM ; SOME WERE EXECUTED…

OTHERS WENT UNDERGROUND…

LOGLINE A Persian tale set in the dead of winter in post revolution Iran, Arezou, an 11-year-old girl discovers the secret world of an illegal, underground ballet group and rewrites her destiny.

STORY During a treacherous winter in post Islamic revolution Tehran, AREZOU, an 11-year-old girl, finds herself thrust into adulthood too soon. Amidst an unstable world filled with conflict and division due to socio-economic, political and religious differences at home, school and society at large, Arezou is forced to choose between her devotion to family and the opportunity for freedom. Left to care for her unresponsive mother, AZADEH, who was rendered disabled and catatonic following a horrific tragedy, Arezou spends her days in quiet obedience, alternating between school, her sad home and a rug warehouse, where her broken- hearted and depressed father, OMID, works. With no hope for a bright future in sight, Arezou meets a mysterious woman one fateful afternoon — and everything changes. Journeying through the isolated warehouse, Arezou discovers remnants of the disbanded Iranian National Ballet company and the beautiful PARVANEH, who she initially runs from. However, destiny brings them together again, and on a snowy night, as Parvaneh sews a pair of handmade ballet slippers, she introduces Arezou to the secret world of the underground ballet — one filled with beauty, creativity, joy, and an avenue for self- expression and processing her repressed emotions. She forms a strong bond with the passionate, surrogate mother figure and finds her voice in a world of restrictions. But at what risk? With tensions mounting as Arezou keeps her dancing a secret, her family’s trauma and the ensuing drama reaches a boiling point — further posing a threat to the family’s safety and her chance for freedom. With tensions mounting as Arezou keeps her dancing a secret, her family’s trauma and the ensuing drama reaches a boiling point — further posing a threat to the family’s safety and her chance for freedom.

Style Arezou will achieve a classically cinematic look, suitable for expressing the story and its timeless themes of hope, loss, faith, identity, and purpose. We are inspired by a legacy of powerful and influential Iranian films, from Children of Heaven, A Separation, Color of Paradise, About Elly and Song of Sparrows.

Although these films are equally as gorgeous as they are heart-wrenching, Arezou creates for us a world that has yet to be explored in Iranian cinema: an isolated, dark, snowy Tehran, which itself plays a major character in Arezou’s universe. Our collective vision is to see this film brought to cinematic life by utilizing the power and eloquence of 16mm film with a Panavision film camera accompanied by Panavision Ultra Speed lenses. We will juxtapose the bright, snow-filled exteriors with dark, shadowy and warm interiors, a visual shroud in which the characters live.

The cinematic images and aesthetic throughout the film will depict the power of metaphors and poetry, which greatly contributes to Iran’s cultural history. The images will carry us through the world just as much as the characters and their words.

Arezou will be beautiful, impactful, tragic, and an awakening into a world that has yet to be exposed through filmmaking.

IRANIAN NATIONAL BALLET

The Iranian National Ballet Company was Iran’s only state ballet institution until the of 1978 and also the most known and recognized dance company in the Middle East. It was founded in 1958 by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and existed for twenty-one years (1958-1979). The company, residing at Tehran’s famous Roudaki Hall, was terminated in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution. Many of the company members were exiled, while others were executed.

It is with great honor that Arezou will feature original members of the Iranian National Ballet Company.

On the night of July 31, 2016, the trajectory of my life was painfully and purposefully altered. My grandparents were peacefully asleep when a sudden house fire erupted and destroyed our home, ultimately taking away their precious lives that night. That experience Director’s Statement forever transformed me. Over the course of six months, my parents, sister and I spent day after day sifting through all that was left of their earthly possessions. I had found an old journal that my grandmother had kept. Inside she had written... In pain find purpose.

Shortly after their passing, I was sitting outside a cafe and saw an older Iranian gentleman sweeping away the dust and debris outside a Persian rug store. Suddenly, a piano began to play in the near distance. Intrigued, I followed the music and discovered a group of small girls in a ballet class. In that moment, I remembered my own life and how ballet sustained me in my youth and further inspired my artistry as a filmmaker. I then explored the rug store, observing the pristine detail on the display rugs and thinking about my heritage, my powerful, maternal, Iranian bloodline. It all came together in that moment... Iran and Ballet.

I began my research immediately and found that, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran had one of the most renowned ballet companies in the world. The company was destroyed towards the conclusion of the revolution. Soon after, the Iranian ballet became a forbidden memory. I found the recent losses of my own family paralleled the trauma affecting the Iranian National Ballet Company. Nearly all of the archival footage and photographs of the company were destroyed. This very painful reality inspired the world of Arezou. To live a life where there are only dead ends. Despite my recent personal events, I found immense healing and hope through Arezou. She took her pain and found purpose.

There is something disarming about oppression and trauma being told through the eyes of a child, and this is the impact the world needs to finally break through this catastrophic regime, which has cast a dark and heavy shadow over Iran. Arezou has the ability to touch the hearts of so many people around the world because the story is being told through an untapped and necessary perspective -- the eyes of an 11-year-old girl who bears unfathomable weight due to her familial, religious and societal circumstances. The regime has taken the freedom from an ancient, poetic and incredibly deep culture Continued and exposes the innocence of pure naivety -- where so many of our societies’ problems and faults erupt from, by looking at a circumstance through one lens, one perspective and stating it as right or wrong. It is often only this way that we, as adults, can see the pain we cause upon the most vulnerable. Arezou is a tale that must be told for future generations -- our children -- and for those living now to begin their journey towards acknowledging who they are at a deep level and begin their quest towards healing.

One February night in 1979, just before the curtain rose on the Iranian National Ballet’s rendition of Sleeping Beauty, Roudaki Hall was raided and the ballet company was closed. Sleeping Beauty has been poetically woven into our film. Aurora, who has been forcefully silenced is represented by the Azadeh character -- Arezou’s mother, who is seen in a terminally catatonic and paralyzed state after a raid of the ballet company. Azadeh in Persian, means freedom.

A year ago, I had a very intimate table read of Arezou and a young Iranian woman, Sanaz -- 23 years old, came up to me afterwards and with tears in her eyes, she thanked me from the depths of her heart that finally this story was being told. When she was 19-years-old, she was caught participating in the underground Shakespeare company in Tehran and was sent to Evin Prison. Sanaz sought asylum in America, leaving her mother, father and two sisters behind in Tehran. She shared with me that there are thousands of "Arezou's" alike in Iran today -- in artistic hiding from the world due to fear of imprisonment or worse.

We need to begin the dialogue, and it is our responsibility and duty as filmmakers and minorities in our field to put these stories on the map so that we can bear witness to positive transformation in our lifetime.

I hope to make this film with your support. Thank you for your openness and consideration. Let us begin this journey towards healing and impact with Arezou. P arvaneh F arhad A zadeh O mid

Shohreh Aghdashloo Houshang Touzie Azadeh Khatibi Maz Jobrani Academy Award Nominee Argo, Madame Secretary Window Horses Netflix Special: Immigrant House of Sand and Fog, The Expanse

CAST

Writer/Director

SOPHIA KIAPOS is an Iranian-Greek/American film director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Sophia's foundation began in the theatre where she studied classical acting at Stella Adler Studio in New York City, and later at LAMDA in London. In 2014, Sophia directed her first short film, Olivia Martha Ilse starring James Frain (True Detective, Orphan Black) and Tammy Blanchard (Tallulah, Blue Jasmine).

Sophia is a tremendous advocate for women and minorities in film and in 2016 she founded a collective for women in the industry called Female Filmmakers. Today, Sophia supports well over 6,000 women in 40 countries working in different facets of filmmaking.

In 2017, Sophia was brought on by WhoHaHa and Universal Pictures to direct Elizabeth Banks in five comedic sketches for the Pitch Perfect franchise.

Sophia founded her production company, The Pack Pictures in 2019 and is committed to honoring women and minorities at the helm of independent filmmaking. Now more than ever, Sophia is ready and committed to breathing Arezou into reality and cinematic existence. CHELSEA WINSTANLEY is an award-winning filmmaker and producer. More recently, she was a producer on Taika Waititi’s film, JOJO RABBIT, which stars Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell and will be released in October 2019 by Fox Searchlight, and the documentary MERATA, which played Sundance and Berlin during it’s successful festival run and was picked up for distribution by Ava DuVernay’s company, ARRAY NOW. In 2014, she produced the hit vampire mockumentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, directed by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement — now a TV show for FX. Chelsea graduated at the top of her class from AUT in 2002 with a BC in Communications, majoring in Television, and she completed the EAVE Producers course in Europe in 2011. Currently residing in Los Angeles with her family, Chelsea is from the indigenous tribes Ngati Ranginui and Ngai Te Rangi of Aotearoa New Zealand through her mother and “Kiwi” through her father. Producers

LIZ CARDENAS is a 2019 Independent Spirit Award nominee and has been a producer on eight narrative feature films. Recent and notable credits include Augustine Frizzell’s NEVER GOIN’ BACK (Sundance ’18), starring Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone and Kyle Mooney; David Lowery’s A GHOST STORY (Sundance ’17), starring Rooney Mara and Academy Award Winner, Casey Affleck — both films released by A24; and Daniel Laabs’ JULES OF LIGHT & DARK, the 2019 Outfest Best US Narrative Feature. Under her production company, Ten to the Six Pictures, she has a slate of four features in various stages of development and production - filming in the US and abroad. A 2018 Rotterdam Lab and 2017 Film Independent Lab Fellow, she is a TCU graduate and former reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Liz was recently included on the 2019 LATINXT List, a curated talent list of emerging US Latino Creators from an initiative created by Zoe Saldana, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robert Rodriguez. Born in Chicago, based in LA, she considers Texas home, where she grew up with her Hispanic father, who immigrated to the US and Irish-American mother. Liz is represented by Authentic Talent & Literary Management. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY SENDA BONNET was born and raised in France and graduated from the prestigious FEMIS Cinema School of Paris with a concentration in cinematography. Senda was classically trained to shoot on film, but quickly adopted digital technology. She is a third-generation filmmaker and has been passionate about the medium of motion pictures and the possibility of telling stories through pictures since she was a girl. Filmmaking is in Senda’s blood. Her documentary work and feature films have taken her all over the world and her work has won awards and been shown at major film festivals. One of her more recent projects, THE BLUE DRESS, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Senda is a dreamer, a strong leader and a problem solver with a passion for bringing stories to life.

DI COLORIST BRYAN MCMAHAN is a colorist passionate about his work and fascinated by emerging technologies. Bryan is a UCLA Film Alumni who has been in the entertainment industry for 35 years and holds over 100 credits in feature films and television, some of which are Hollywood’s favorites, including A THIN RED LINE, TOMMY BOY, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, and TREE OF LIFE. Working on projects across all genres, he is able to capture the mood through his color. Bryan quickly gained notoriety for his work. He continues to collaborate with some of today’s most influential talent, sharing the same passion for cinema, like Terrance Malick, Emmanuel Lubezki, William Friedkin, Caleb Deschanel, and John Toll. Bryan has put endless effort working with the ASC, studio engineers, and vendors by sharing his deep knowledge in color precision and digital intermediate evolving formats. He was heavily involved with the first HDR Pulsar restoration project with Paramount Pictures classic, BRAVEHEART. Bryan’s revered color grading has led him to become a favorite amongst many clients. He brings great enthusiasm while lending his color grading expertise at Roundabout Entertainment.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER SHAMIM SEIFZADEH is an Iranian-American production designer. Shamim holds an MFA in Production Design from The American Film Institute (AFI). In 2012, AFI presented Shamim the Tom Yom Scholarship Award in recognition of her work. Shamim has contributed her immense talents as a production designer on 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, SPECTRAL, CAPTAIN MARVEL, PALE BLUE DOT, LORD OF THE RINGS, and dozens of other studio-supported films. Growing up in Iran, Shamim lived through the Iran-Iraq War, and every day battled the common social struggles of being a woman alongside millions of others. She believes that through storytelling, we can open conversations to taboo topics, thereby creating greater understanding and acceptance.

CHOREOGRAPHER TARA GHASSEMIEH is a Persian-American prima ballerina, choreographer and teacher based in Orange County, CA. Born and raised in Southern California, Tara began her dance and acting training at six years old. At sixteen she moved to New York to join the American Ballet Theatre. As a choreographer, Tara has won many awards honoring her pieces. She has choreographed for world renowned artists around the world and recently world premiered her first piece with husband and ballet dancer, Vitor Luiz in SCHEHERAZADE. Tara was the first Iranian ballerina in history to play the infamous Persian character of Scheherazade. AREZOU is a film so deeply close to Tara and whom she has been her whole life. As the only Iranian prima ballerina in North America, it is her highest honor to share with the world how much ballet has touched her life through the eyes of Arezou in this timely and necessary film. Her highest dream is to one day build a safe ballet school in the heart of Tehran, Iran; a place where all women, men and children can spread their wings and dance freely.

MAKEUP & HAIR DESIGNER NANCY VINCENT is a New Zealand makeup and hair designer. Nancy has worked as a makeup and hair key on Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy, THE HOBBIT Trilogy, KING KONG, MORTAL ENGINES, and in 2020, on James Cameron’s AVATAR 2. Nancy is elated to be working on a project with genuine authenticity and meaning such as AREZOU.

EDITOR HOLLY ISAACSON was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. Her love of movies developed alongside her love of dance. After 14 years of ballet, she transitioned to competitive dance teams where she won two national championships and one national title. Both of these loves followed her to Boston University where she graduated with a BA in Film & Television. While in Boston, she also served and competed all four years on the Boston University Dance Team. Holly has been a working member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild for 11 years in feature films (21 Jump Street, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thor: Ragnarok, Pain and Game), and also cut the proof of concept for Arezou. The unstoppable love for dance expressed beautifully on film presents a unique and exciting filmmaking opportunity for Holly, and she is thrilled to be a part of the Arezou team. COSTUME CONSULTANT MAYES C. RUBIO is a costume designer known for her work on JOJO RABBIT, AVATAR, APOCALYPTO, THOR: RAGNAROK, WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING, WORLD WAR Z, and JOHN CARTER. Mayes was born in Mexico City and went on to train in fashion and costume at the Los Angeles Trade-Tech College and UCLA. In a design career spanning two decades, she has collaborated with visionary directors such as Mel Gibson, Zhang Yimou and James Cameron — leading studios such as Marvel and Legendary and screen stars including Cate Blanchett, Ruth Negga, Brad Pitt and Andy Lau. Mayes continues to bring her costumes into new territories, turning technology and technical challenges into creative opportunities. Her passion and collaborative spirit have enabled her to successfully lead diverse teams across five continents, merging traditional craft skills with state-of-the-art technology. Mayes is a member of The Costume Designers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Mayes is honored to be consulting her longtime collaborator Liz Krause in designing the world, fabrics and costumes for AREZOU.

COSTUME DESIGNER LIZ KRAUSE is a British costume designer based in Italy. She has previously assisted on Taika Waititi’s JOJO RABBIT, period drama POLDARK as well as the films THE GREAT WALL, THOR: RAGNAROK and WARCRAFT. She is a close, long-time collaborator of costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo, and artist and sculptor, Joseph Feltus, and has worked across Europe, Asia and North America, creating costumes with local crews in each place. An ongoing fascination with culture and human interactions, tied to a deep tactile love of material and aesthetics are at the heart of and the continuum in her international and varied costume career. AREZOU is a dream come true project for Liz in the realm of story, design and heart. COMPOSER CARLOS JOSE ALVAREZ is a Cuban-American composer, songwriter and producer known for his emotional and melodic scores. He has contributed his music to numerous feature films including Academy and Golden Globe Award-winning drama STILL ALICE (Julianne Moore) and THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD (Susan Sarandon, Kevin Kline). The diverse composer has also composed scores for Lionsgate’s thriller Exposed (starring Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas, Mira Sorvino), the award-winning drama OF MIND AND MUSIC (Joaquin de Almeida), sci-fi thriller THE QUIET HOUR (Dakota Blue Richards) and the critically acclaimed documentaries CUBAMERICA (Andy Garcia, Steven Bauer) and 13 MILLION VOICES. In addition, his music can be heard in Norman Lear's hit remake of ONE DAY AT A TIME for Netflix. Carlos resides in Los Angeles.

SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR SEAN MASSEY has over 13 years of union experience since moving to Los Angeles. Starting as a Sound Assistant, then moving into Dialogue Editor and ADR Supervisor, as well as taking the role of Supervising Sound Editor, he has a firm understanding of post production sound. With well over 100 credits listed on IMDB, he has and continues to work on an array of movies from independent films to Hollywood blockbusters. Recent projects include BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, DEADPOOL 2, STUBER and FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW.

Comparable Films

Premiere Premiere Premiere TIFF Berlin Sundance Budget Budget Budget €2 Million Euros $800,000 USD $3,000,000 USD

Box Office Box Office Box Office $11 Million USD $24 Million USD $19.56 Million USD

Distributor Distributor Distributor Momento Sony Pictures A24 Classics * Academy Award Winning * Academy Award Winning

Premiere Premiere Premiere Cannes Cannes Cannes Budget Budget Budget £3 Million GBP $4.3 Million $4 Million USD Box Office Box Office Box Office $109.3 Million USD $19.4 Million USD $68.6 Million USD Distributor Distributor Distributor Focus Features Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Classics * Academy Award * Academy Award * Academy Award Nominated Nominated Nominated

Proposed Schedule Production Plan

Pre-Production: Dec. 2019 - Feb. 2020

Production: Feb. 2020 - April 2020 A dynamic and experienced team will bring Post-Production: April 2020 - Aug. 2020 Arezou to life. Our primary commitment is to produce the highest quality product. By Budget utilizing strategic cost-effective resources and collaborating with the local community,

Approx. $3 Million (USD) our process enables wide support and long- term relationships with those invested in the Shooting Location success of the film. It begins with the script. The Plan With its limited number of speaking roles and relatively few locations, Arezou can be Toronto, ON & Greater Toronto Area produced at a modest budget level. By keeping "above the line" costs to a minimum, Distribution Plan the production team will insure that the money spent will be seen on screen. We plan During post production the Producers to shoot in the winter months in Ontario will travel to Cannes in May 2020 to Toronto, which not only supports the seek a sales agent. Following Director's vision but is in our favor. During completion of the film, the producers this period there is a considerable amount of will submit Arezou to 'A' list large production volume that takes a hiatus. International festivals with sights set on Venice and beyond.

Service Sponsors and Supporters

June 11, 2019

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Steve Bellamy and I run Motion Picture and Entertainment for Kodak. On a daily basis I work with the most talented motion picture artists helping them make their art. Chris Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Patty Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, JJ Abrams, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sophia Coppola, Luca Guadagnino, Edgar Wright, Sean Baker, Ondi Timoner, JT Mollner, etc. are just a small smattering of the hundreds of artists I work with every year.

It is with great pleasure that I write to highly recommend Arezou and the extraordinary ​ ​ production team working hard to create this vitally important film. I simply cannot say enough great things about production team and their concept. Writer/director Sophia Moghaddam-Kiapos, producer Chelsea Winstanley, producer Liz Cardenas, associate producer Azadeh Khatibi, director of photography Senda Bonnet and production designer Shamim Seifzadeh. They are such a strong group of driven, hard-working, get stuff done women.

I spend a lot of my day trying to help movies get into festival and awards trajectories and I can’t think of any that are as laser targeted as Arezou. Given the film’s unique themes of Iran, ​ ​ women, sexuality, ballet and identity, even a moderately well-done execution of their plan should make this movie an awards’ darling. I am advising on movie bets all day long and don’t see many that are as laser targeted as this one to the wants and desires of festival programmers and Academy voters. I heartily recommend Arezou and the team behind it! This ​ ​ one is a layup!

Sincerely,

Steve Bellamy President of Motion Picture and Entertainment Eastman Kodak

CONTACT

Chelsea Winstanley [email protected]

Liz Cardenas [email protected]

in pain there is purpose