Nightmares & Dreamscapes                           Stephen King

The Beginnings - A Note from the Director

In September, I managed to be one of the lucky ones to acquire the non-commercial rights to Stephen King's The Doctor's Case, a Sherlock Holmes story King had published in his 1986 anthology, Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Having been a horror writer myself and huge fan of King's legendary works, I knew that the most exciting avenue to approach this film adaptation would be through an Iranian, Farsi-language short, the first of its kind.  Furthermore the plot heavily relies on themes of family, betrayal, justice hierarchy, status and the shackles of patriarchy which makes the Iranian backdrop an interesting landscape to explore such themes. 

The title of our adaptation The Last King, isn't just a wink to the author, but a notable nod to Iranian history and it's socio-political constructs over the last 40 years.  Though Stephen King's works have been adapted in hundreds of different languages, our short will be the first ever Iranian adaptation of a King project, and that alone is worth getting excited about.

Additionally, it is important for everyone who is supporting us to understand that the terms of this deal do not permit us to monetize the project in any way. This film is entirely intended for festival screenings and eventual public release. Everyone participating in the film is doing it for the love of their craft and as a celebration of Persian culture.

About Me - Writer/ Director 

​Kaveh Mohebbi received his MA in Screenwriting at the London Film School (UK). Soon after he was a graduate of the Second City writing program where he wrote and produced the mainstage show, Apocalypse Now, Desert Later. In 2013 Kaveh was invited into the CFC Writer’s Lab, which led to his involvement as co-writer on a number of short films including the Official TIFF Selection, STILL and the Official Austin Film Festival Selection, Life on Juniper. He also wrote for CBC’s This Hour has 22 Minutes, optioned his dramatic feature Flirting with Iran with New Real Films, optioned a one-hour drama pilot House of Manners with Pier 21 and has since been working as a writer for hire on two feature projects; Queen Tut, a drama, (Reem Morsi, Shant Joshi, Ingrid Veninger) and a Telefilm, OMDC, Harold Greenberg backed revenge-drama, Down Low (Glen Wood, Paula Devonshire).

Project Synopsis

Renown Iranian detective Shahriar and his pupil Vahid are called upon by Detective Ehsan to investigate the murder of a wealthy yet sadistic patriarch who was stabbed to death inside of a locked room. The only suspects are the victim's wife and three young daughters, all of whom have just cause to seek the man's death. 

Production Company

I have teamed up with Ali Mashayekhi of Landed Entertainments and Mena Massoud of Press Play Productions and their teams to help guide me in the process of producing this short film. They will bring their extensive skill set as well as resources from their companies to ensure the highest standards possible are achieved within my budget. 

Ali Mashayekhi - Producer

Ali Mashayekhi is a Canadian producer who grew up in Toronto, Ontario. Ali graduated from the prestigious CFC (Canadian Film Center) Producers program in 2016. He has since produced several features, over 40 short films, and a number of international documentaries in Japan and Korea. Ali also teaches at the Raindance School of Film in Toronto and London. Most recently, Ali partnered with Mena Massoud to launch the Ethnically Diverse Artists Foundation (EDA), a non-profit with a mandate to support EDAs with their journey into filmmaking.  In 2003, Ali created Landed Entertainments, an international production company, and in 2016 he co-founded the boutique distribution company Without a Flock, focusing on developing local talent in Toronto, Canada.

Mena Massoud - Producer

Mena Massoud is an Egyptian-Canadian actor making his mark with distinct choices in film and television. Most recently, Mena has starred in the title role of the hugely successful Disney live-action reimagining of Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie. Up next, Mena stars in the feature film Run This Town, a Canadian political drama, which details the turbulent final year of the Rob Ford administration in Toronto. Currently, he is in production on the new Hulu drama series, Reprisal, which Warren Littlefield is producing with A+E studios, also starring Abigail Spencer and Rodrigo Santoro.
 

The Cast

Maz Jobrani as Shahriar

Maz Jobrani is currently the host of his own podcast Back to School with Maz Jobrani on The All Things Comedy Network. Maz’s latest comedy special “Immigrant,” which was filmed at the Kennedy Center, is available on Netflix. Clips from his other 3 solo standup specials can also be seen on his YouTube channel at YouTube.com/mazjobrani. Maz can also be seen in the independent film “Simple Wedding” with Shohreh Aghdashloo, Rita Wilson and Tara Grammy, which recently came out in theaters and also available on iTunes, Amazon and VOD.  *Actor's participation is subject to change based on availability.

Shiva Negar as Shiva

Shiva Negar is a Canadian actress, public figure & influencer who shot to fame starring alongside Michael Keaton in the film “American Assassin”. One of Variety magazine’s “10 Canadians to watch”, Shiva just finished shooting the new Sci fi-Drama Series “ALT” produced by Gunpowder & Sky. She continues to star in deep impactful roles. Born in Iran and now Living in Los Angeles, Shiva overcame cultural traditions in order to follow her dreams. She is dedicated to using her work in performing arts as a medium to inspire, support & empower women all over the world. *Actor's participation is subject to change based on availability.  

Navid Negahban as Reza

Navid Negahban stars in ALADDIN, where he portrays the “Sultan” in this live action remake. He also stars in Marvel’s X-MEN series LEGION as the “Ahmal Farouk,” aka “the Shadow King.”  Other starring roles include the war drama 12 STRONG: THE STORY OF THE HORSE SOLDIERS, BRAIN ON FIRE, and BABA JOON.  Navid is a stand-out in Clint Eastwood’s AMERICAN SNIPER. *Actor's participation is subject to change based on availability.  

Tara Grammy as Parvaneh

Tara Grammy is an Iranian-Canadian actress and playwright. She was born in Tehran, but grew up in Toronto, with time spent in the United-States and Germany. Tara is currently a host of Persia’s Got Talent, part of the Got Talent family that currently has franchises in the US and UK. Tara stars as the lead of the romantic comedy A SIMPLE WEDDING opposite Maz Jobrani, Rita Wilson and Academy Award winner Shohreh Aghdashloo, which is now in theaters and available on VOD. Tara also starred in TBS sketch show 2042 as a series regular. She completed her Bachelor of Arts with a specialist in Drama at the University of Toronto and has been performing since graduating in 2010. Her unique multi-national perspective inspired her to create her award-winning one-woman show MAHMOUD, which she co-wrote, produced and starred in. The show put her on the map in Toronto (Best of Toronto Fringe and Patron’s Pick Winner), New York (Fringe NYC Encore Series and Excellence in Solo Performance Award) and Los Angeles (Sold-out performances at Santa Monica Playhouse, at Whitefire Theatre) in 2012-2013. The show was so popular that Playwright’s Canada Press approached her and got it published in 2015. Mahmoud was nominated for a Governor General’s Award, the most prestigious Canadian award in the literary world. *Actor's participation is subject to change based on availability.  
 

Actor to be Announced

The Team

Dan Wong - Executive Producer

We have joined forces with Dan Wong from Eggplant Picture & Sound post-production house to tackle our picture edit once complete. 

Dan Wong is a Producer & Post Production Executive working in affiliation with Eggplant Picture & Sound. He is the co-creator and producer of Canada's Number One Soccer Podcast "Footy Prime". Over his 20-year career, Dan has written, directed & produced for television, digital and film including commercial advertising & branded content. In his role at Eggplant Picture & Sound, he has acted as an Executive Producer on such projects as  A Short History of the Long Road and Hurt and Post Production Executive on Netflix’s The Last Laugh, Tammy’s Always Dying, & Astronaut. Dan has held posts at Rogers Sportsnet as the Creative Marketing Producer and Writer/Editor at Sportsnet.ca, Head of Sales & Marketing at post & digital distribution-company MIJO, & Director of Marketing Research at Media Tech company Extreme Reach. 
 

Daniel Shojaei - Associate Producer

We have teamed up with Daniel Shojaei from Ontario Camera equipment house to ensure we have the best camera equipment for this film.

Daniel Shojaei was born in Iran, Shiraz in 1990. At the age of 18, Daniel undertook his first short film 'The murderer' on the most basic digital camera. Growing up, he continued making short films and was involved with many other projects including TV Series, Short Films, and Feature Films. Presently, he is working on his first feature film 'Safar' which will be funded by Telefilm Canada.

Daniel is the owner of Ontario Camera, a boutique-style rental house that supplies motion picture equipment to all project sizes.
 

Jessica Pontes - Associate Producer

Jessica Pontes is a Portuguese-Canadian producer, actor and Devised Theatre performer. She started acting at the age of 12 in Film/ Tv as well as community theatre. She attended York University’s Devised Theatre program and graduated with a BA of Arts with Honours. After graduating, she began working with Landed Entertainments Inc. and Without a Flock Films & Distribution Inc. where she produced short films, features, music videos and documentaries. In 2017, she executive produced the Drama/ Sci-fi feature anthology Samanthology which featured the work of notable CFC directors, writers and actors. Shorts from Samanthology have screened in film festivals wordwide and have won several awards. This year, Jessica produced and starred in A Monster Origin Story, a horror short film based on an original concept she developed. Jessica also recently guest starred on CBC’s hit mystery show Frankie Drake Mysteries.

Joanna Tsanis - Associate Producer
Joanna Tsanis is an award-winning producer and filmmaker. Her directorial debut Imagine a World, a satirical horror short, premiered at Toronto After Dark Film Festival and won ‘Best Director, Short’ at Nightmares Film Festival. In 2018, Joanna wrote and produced Eleftheromania, a WWII-era short film starring Academy Award Winner Olympia Dukakis. The film screened at several festivals worldwide including Raindance Film Festival and won multiple awards such as ‘Best Short Screenplay’ at Mindfield Film Festival and ‘Best Drama’ at Toronto Shorts International Film Festival. Joanna recently directed the dramatic horror short Mourn, starring Lynne Griffin of the cult classic Black Christmas (1974). Joanna is now producing a feature-length horror anthology film for Landed Entertainments.
 

Aref Mahabadi - Editor

Aref Mahabadi born August 22, 1989 is an Editor based out of Toronto, Ontario. His first short film Day Players (2016) won Best Short at the 2018 Canadian Comedy Awards. With over 10 years of experience Aref has edited a variety of short films and music videos, currently he is the lead director and editor for The Abnormal Beauty Company, a fast growing multi-brand company with videos combining for over 10 million views.

Spread the Word

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