A Family Bond Is A Powerful Thing: Soroush Saeidi On The Short Film "Funfair"
Soroush Saeidi is an actor, producer and the youngest of 3 brothers. Having lived in various cities of the world such as London, Toronto, New York, and Dubai, he is truly a citizen of the world. He studied Theatre at York University in Toronto, Canada and has also trained at some of the most prestigious film and theatre schools around the world perfecting his craft. His latest endeavor, Funfair, which he served as producer and lead actor, marked his first experience working in Iran and was produced under his Toronto-based company, 3bros Film Inc.
A financially struggling man, Majid (Soroush Saeidi), comes up with a ploy in order to better the life of his wife Sara (Sonia Sanjari).
The film has been accepted into 41 official film festivals, including Foyle Film Festival where it won Best International Film and The European Independent Film Festival where it took home Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short at ÉCU. We had the opportunity to talk to Soroush about the film, finding the right story, filming in Iran, and much much more!
I’m guessing the inspiration for the name of your production company, 3bros film Inc., stems from your family background, where you’re the youngest of three brothers, but what else can you tell us about your company? How did you get it started?
That’s very true, we are 3 boys and my mom always wanted 3 boys! All three of us are also somewhat based in creative field; my oldest is a CEO in Advertising and the other is a fantastic musician. That is the reason I called it 3bros Film.
Coming out of theater school and getting a second business degree (BBA) in Marketing, working in advertising and television for a while in Dubai, I understood the business side of the market in addition to the creative side. I thought I should create my own brand/company and films versus only waiting to get hired as an actor. I have a love/hate relationship with that whole thing since I understand the filmmaking process. It makes me care more and want to be involved in producing it to best of my ability in pre and post-production, as opposed to just sometimes playing a part and leaving it behind to wait and see what happens when the films comes out. That surprise element is also a great thing to wait for at times.
What do you look for in a project, whether it be as a producer or a performer?
Story is the first thing I look for. If I can connect with it and get goosebumps when I read it that means I can visualize it and I know it will work. That’s been my motive and I trust my instincts very much so,
How did the script for Funfair make its way to you? What was it in particular that resonated with you most about the story?
I met Kaveh Mazaheri, the film’s director, through my middle brother when I was visiting Iran. He came over to my place, we spoke and he showed me his previous film, Retouch, a fantastic multiple award winning film that I really enjoyed. I showed him some of the stuff I had created, and we connected right away as film people. A few days later he told me about Funfair and how he had this great script that he wanted to make. I read it and really loved it. I loved Majid and felt sorry for him, loved the relationship he had with his son and how in his own world he thought what he was doing was good for the family. He has this sense of innocence within him, and I thought it would be great to show that side of the character in the midst of his outrageous plan to support his family. At first, we spoke about me playing the part, and then after that, I got involved as one of the producers of the film.
The film has received a lot of love from the festival circuit, with more awards on the horizon. What’s been your favorite festival moment so far?
It has and we have been truly blessed. My favorite moment was accepting the award for best international film at Foyle Film festival In Ireland, which made us an Oscar qualifying film. It was a great night and a lovely festival. In addition, of course, attending BFI in London where I was born and raised.
The film marked your first experience working in Iran. What was that experience like?
Yes it was, and it was a very different experience! There are lots of guidelines to make a film. As a result you have to work around them to make it happen. Overall, it was an exciting experience.
What were some of the difficulties or challenges that you had to overcome on the project, as a producer and as an actor?
We were shooting during Eid New Year’s holidays, therefore the city of Tehran was very busy and filled with people for the festive season, lots of shopping, traveling. We had a predominately outside film shoot so we had to make sure we were very organized to work in between this chaos and switching locations.
Also, having a lovely smart kid actor as my son was a challenging experience since we had to make sure the kid is always there in the moment and to be able to get that performance from him. He was truly great and made the process joyful. We also had a great relationship on set and during our rehearsal process, we were buddies and used to play cards together everyday.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
A family bond is a powerful thing, even in the darkest of times. A family that sticks together stays together!
Do you have any other projects in the works that you can share with us?
Of course as an actor and producer I am always looking for new projects therefore we are always in the creating process and being able to develop some great storytelling.
I had the pleasure of doing a feature film with Kaveh right after Funfair titled Botox that is currently being sent to international film festivals based on the strategy we have put in place for the film. The film is a co-production between my 3bros Film in Canada and Kaveh’s Darvash Film in Iran, and it was shot in Iran and Germany. It’s going to be a great film and I look forward to sharing Kaveh’s feature debut with the world once we have our premiere in place in the next few months. I am also the producer along with Kaveh and one of the three main actors in the film.
I also have a project for Netlfix that I am developing and hoping to shoot in the next few month, depending on how the current situation will end up.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!