Payman Maadi: Stars are no guarantee of a film\'s success, but the script is!

　　Payman Maadi, actor, writer and director, won Best Actor Award at Berlin International Film Festival for his outstanding performance in A Separation (2011). He was born in New York, and moved to Iran with his family when he was 5 years old. Iran has since become the cradle for his film work. Invited to be a member of this year\'s SIFF jury panel, Payman discussed the reasons why Iran films have been appreciated worldwide in recent years. He believes "stars are not a guarantee of a successful film, but the script is,”

　　Daily News: Why did you choose the film industry for your profession?

　　Maadi: I was supposed to be an engineer, but I was more interested in film screening. I started my film career as a scriptwriter and wrote six or seven scripts which were adapted into commercially successful films. Then I became an actor. After the screening of A Separation, I shot my film The Snow on the Pines (2013).

　　Daily News: What is your favorite activity - actor, director or scriptwriter?

　　Maadi: The thing is, after A Separation, I received a lot of offers. But I didn\'t do much, and I didn\'t see myself as an actor or making a living out of acting. The credit earned by an artist is not from what exactly he does; it’s from the projects that he doesn’t do. An artist makes his reputation out of the projects that he refuses. So I prefer not to do what I don’t like. I must fall in love with a project, whether it is as a film-writer, actor, or whatever.

　　Daily News: What is the quality in a film that attracts you?

　　Maadi: I don’t like to repeat myself. I want to challenge myself and see if a film will be better with my presence. I don’t consider whether it is a horror, social drama or an action film. It doesn’t matter to me. Nor whether it is international or a co-production. I need some thrilling experience that doesn\'t allow me to sleep at night.

　　Daily News: With many film producers wanting you to join them in Hollywood films, what do you have planned for your career?

　　Maadi: My father is a lawyer who obtained his doctoral degree in America. Our family moved to Iran when I was 5 years old. I often travel to America and sometimes stay a few days in Los Angeles with my families. But I stay in Iran because I love my country and am familiar with the life there. I can’t write a script about China because I haven\'t spent my life in China and I don’t know much about Chinese people. In Iran, I have my home and my two kids. I prefer to live in Iran, a place allowing me to work better, think better and be more creative.

　　Daily News: Many Asian directors complain that it is very difficult to find investors. What about the situation in Iran?

　　Maadi: Stars are not a guarantee of a successful film but the script is! If you had a great story, it would be very easy to find an investor. It is a general rule that you have no way to win support from the filmmaker and investor if your script is not good. That is the evidence of how important the script creation is! The Iranian government does not invest in films, thus most of the films are produced independently by the private sector.

　　Daily News: The Iranian films winning awards at international film festivals are mostly literary films. My question is, are these literary films welcomed in Iran?

　　Maadi: There have been an increasing number of Iranian people who appreciate literary films. However, commercial films are more appreciated worldwide, and you can never complain about that. Watching a film can help people escape from the reality or help them to forget all the misery in real life. I will not make those particularly commercialized films, nor will I watch those films. But I do know how important they are to the audience. A film is not made for persuasion and education but for entertainment. For me, films can never be simply categorized into commercial ones and non-commercial ones. Commercial elements are essential to the success of a good film.

　　Daily News: Since the screening of A Separation, people regard it as more than a single film because it raises issues for contemplation by us.

　　Maadi: Films have to transfer more messages to general audiences beyond mere entertainment. Nowadays, fewer and fewer people are reading books, or watching classic films. They spend too much time, for example, on Facebook or Instagram, in a very rapid way. But if you see a film, it can make you think about your life, your relations, and your family, and so on. A Separation did this. Inside the country and outside the country, people were connected to the film. It is the best thing for us, and we are very happy and proud.

　　Daily News: Many people learn about Iranian culture through films. As a filmmaker, do you regard it as a responsibility to promote Iranian culture? Do you make it part of the background in your films?
Maadi: When I starred in A Separation, the director said:“I don’t think everyone will love this film as it is a very special film with Iranian characteristics.”But it proved to be a success. It is not necessary for a filmmaker to deliberately show his own country through his film, but he may do it naturally and subconsciously. As far as a filmmaker telling a story in his most indigenous and individual way, it must be accurate and realistic, and therefore he will be welcomed by people around the world.