The Ambassador's Daughter
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Satire
For Iranian artists, no artistic choice can be made without simultaneously making a political one. "The Ambassador's Daughter" is a short film about one of those choices, and an Iranian-American character who must confront the in-betweenness of her identity along with the ascension of her career.
The Ambassador's Daughter
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Satire
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
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This campaign raised $8,000 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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For Iranian artists, no artistic choice can be made without simultaneously making a political one. "The Ambassador's Daughter" is a short film about one of those choices, and an Iranian-American character who must confront the in-betweenness of her identity along with the ascension of her career.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
An Iranian-American actor, Elaheh, spends her morning practicing sides for her callback on a major new film. All she has been told about the project is that it is led by a new star, and takes place in revolutionary Iran. At the callback, she meets the producers and works the scene with the lead. As the meeting unfolds, Elaheh begins to question the ramifications of playing the role. Elaheh must decide if taking part in a film that would propel her career is worth the risk of never being able to visit Iran again.
An Iranian artist does not really have the choice to be apolitical. Every creative decision poses a risk, whether to you or your family who still resides there under the current regime. Elaheh is a character who must weigh how a seemingly small choice could rupture a major part of her life, her connection to her heritage and far-away family.
The Ambassador’s Daughter is a short film about these decisions and about the power dynamics at play. The producers and stars making this mysterious film want to make a movie that feels risky and dangerous, but to whom? All the risk falls on Elaheh and the other Iranians involved. It is a matter of deciding whether the risk and the danger is worth the opportunity.
-Armon Mahdavi, Director & Writer
The Ambassador’s Daughter takes a visual approach that prioritizes realism and our protagonist, Elaheh’s perspective in order to ground viewers. We want to constantly remind them that this film doesn’t take place in a mystical land or altered reality but exists in our world here and now. Using cooler tones to emphasize the isolation and otherness that Elaheh lives with, we want more than anything for our audience to understand the gravity of Elaheh’s situation. That no benefit can be had without incredible sacrifice. While providing context into Elaheh’s life outside her art, we hope to shed light on the ‘White Ignorance’ that can be found in media in which plots and characters are employed to give a project validity but exist outside the creative’s lived experience.
-Aaron Champagne, Director of Photography
We hope to raise our goal of $23,250 and build a community on Seed & Spark. We have budgeted for a small crew to shoot in New York City at the end of this summer. Unlike most other projects, we have taken an equitable approach, paying our cast, crew, and producers the same daily rate. We strongly believe in removing the hierarchal pay structure to establish a stronger sense of collaboration. Through our connections in the local industry, relationships with both Panavision and Kodak, and experience producing several festival-winning shorts we hope to foster a community here at Seed & Spark.
-Gurv Sidhu, Executive Producer
The Ambassador’s Daughter represents not just an exciting step forward for our collaboration as FilmFarsi but also a new territory of exploration for the new generation of artists we find ourselves within. Armon’s work has always carried an inherent familiarity with the charged intimacy and power of the smallest moments in life. That’s something Armon and I bonded over quickly before I agreed to start producing with him. When I first heard the concept for this film, I couldn’t get out of my head how tragically funny it was. For those in the Persian diaspora, there lies a real threat and concern that the success or popularity of certain work might translate into real consequences for returning to—or in some cases visiting for the first time—Iran. It’s an incredibly serious thing to hover over what are often humiliating and confusing proceedings that lead to success in creative industries. In making this project, I’m thrilled to explore the space between the identity of an artist and how far they’re willing to extend that for their own chance at success. There are elements of this film that only apply directly in context to circumstances American or Iranian, but when I consider the larger questions therein, it feels universal.
-Eli Bernstein, Executive Producer
“I often wonder what the Iranian-American voice will be and how a whole generation of displaced Iranian artists will engage with their own histories. I wanted to use this name as a sort of bridge between what came before and the present moment.” - Armon Mahdavi
Currently, the Film Farsi team has produced a variety of shorts and a feature that has led to critical acclaim and success in the festival circuit. Look forward to The Ambassador's Daughter and many more projects in the future.
Moss Beach
A literary translator in San Francisco is unexpectedly visited by her niece, who she has not seen since a tragic family event. The two then spend the weekend together in a small coastal town.
Awarded the Audience Award at the Lower East Side Film Festival.
Untitled, Jackson Heights
An Iranian mother living in Queens sends a letter to her far-away daughter.
Official Selections at Athens International Film and Video Festival, IFF Boston, SIFF, and Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. Currently premiering on NoBudge.
Kateh Gojeh Farangi
A young woman moving into her Brooklyn apartment makes a Persian recipe.
Partnered with Lights On.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera, Grip, and Lighting Package
Costs $3,500
Making movies is expensive, this money would go towards camera and lighting packages.
Production
Costs $3,250
Production costs encompass Locations, Transportation, Insurance, and Catering
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,000
We are taking an equitable approach. All members, whether they are cast or crew will be paid the same rate
Post-Production
Costs $1,000
Video editing, color correction, commentary, and sound mixing
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director/Producer: Armon Mahdavi is an Iranian-American writer and filmmaker from San Francisco. He now lives in New York City, where he has production-designed several short films and worked in the art department for features such as Past Lives, Eileen, and Mothers' Instinct.
His first feature, Moss Beach, premiered in 2023. Made for a micro-budget and a crew of five, the film centers around a literary translator in San Francisco and a weekend spent with her niece. The film went on to have a theatrical run at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn. His short film, Untitled, Jackson Heights, will have its world premiere at the Athens International Film and Video Fest in 2024 and continues to play at festivals around the country. As a fiction writer, he has also published short fiction in places such as Gulf Coast, La Piccioletta Barca, and Bricolage.
Filmography: Moss Beach (2023), Untitled, Jackson Heights (2024), Kateh Gojeh Farangi (2024)
Director of Photography/Producer: Aaron Champagne is a cinematographer-producer from Brooklyn, New York. He has worked in the camera department for TV shows and films such as Fleishman Is in Trouble, American Horror Stories, and Preparation for the Next Life. Champagne has a B.F.A in Film Photography and Visual Arts from Ithaca College, and has been a member of IATSE Local 600 since 2021. He is a co-chair of the Local 600 Young Workers Committee, and champions independent filmmaking as a space for exploration and growth.
Actor/Producer: Nancy Kimball is an actor-producer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Since graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she began working in television and independent film. She appeared in Showtime’s City on a Hill and made her feature film debut in Armon Mahdavi’s Moss Beach which won the Audience Award at the Lower East Side Film Festival. She’s helped lead many short films including Katya Ubakov’s Nothing Happened, Steven Hedrick Jr.’s Foundation, Ke Liu’s Same Stars Above Us, and Shawn Butcher’s Lessons which recently won Best Narrative Short at the Sarasota Film Festival. Her upcoming films include T.J. Sandella and Jad Adkins’ debut feature Battersea and Sarah Nixon’s Flesh & Blood.
Since Moss Beach, Nancy has helped produce Armon's films including Untitled, Jackson Heights (2024), and Kateh Gojeh Farangi (2024).
Assistant Director/Producer: Eli Bernstein is a filmmaker and producer from Seattle, Washington. He strives to create a wide range of challenging, singular films both non-fiction and narrative. Outside of his work with Film Farsi, he has produced the short horror comedy Growing Boy and directed the experimental documentary Public Space, as well as worked in the Assistant Director’s department of numerous New York productions including Fleishman is in Trouble, A Good Person, Exhibiting Forgiveness, and That Damn Michael Che
Producer: Gurv Sidhu is an Indian-American producer living in New York City. He initially started his professional career in Finance and has transitioned towards a career in Production. His pivot was motivated by a desire to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.
He started in the industry through the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Program. Here he had the opportunity to rotate through various departments on Feud Season 2. Since then, he has worked on American Horror Stories s3, Elsbeth, Daredevil, and most recently Kiss of the Spider Woman. Gurv is looking to impact the industry by seamlessly meshing his analytical background with his growing creative skillset.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
An Iranian-American actor, Elaheh, spends her morning practicing sides for her callback on a major new film. All she has been told about the project is that it is led by a new star, and takes place in revolutionary Iran. At the callback, she meets the producers and works the scene with the lead. As the meeting unfolds, Elaheh begins to question the ramifications of playing the role. Elaheh must decide if taking part in a film that would propel her career is worth the risk of never being able to visit Iran again.
An Iranian artist does not really have the choice to be apolitical. Every creative decision poses a risk, whether to you or your family who still resides there under the current regime. Elaheh is a character who must weigh how a seemingly small choice could rupture a major part of her life, her connection to her heritage and far-away family.
The Ambassador’s Daughter is a short film about these decisions and about the power dynamics at play. The producers and stars making this mysterious film want to make a movie that feels risky and dangerous, but to whom? All the risk falls on Elaheh and the other Iranians involved. It is a matter of deciding whether the risk and the danger is worth the opportunity.
-Armon Mahdavi, Director & Writer
The Ambassador’s Daughter takes a visual approach that prioritizes realism and our protagonist, Elaheh’s perspective in order to ground viewers. We want to constantly remind them that this film doesn’t take place in a mystical land or altered reality but exists in our world here and now. Using cooler tones to emphasize the isolation and otherness that Elaheh lives with, we want more than anything for our audience to understand the gravity of Elaheh’s situation. That no benefit can be had without incredible sacrifice. While providing context into Elaheh’s life outside her art, we hope to shed light on the ‘White Ignorance’ that can be found in media in which plots and characters are employed to give a project validity but exist outside the creative’s lived experience.
-Aaron Champagne, Director of Photography
We hope to raise our goal of $23,250 and build a community on Seed & Spark. We have budgeted for a small crew to shoot in New York City at the end of this summer. Unlike most other projects, we have taken an equitable approach, paying our cast, crew, and producers the same daily rate. We strongly believe in removing the hierarchal pay structure to establish a stronger sense of collaboration. Through our connections in the local industry, relationships with both Panavision and Kodak, and experience producing several festival-winning shorts we hope to foster a community here at Seed & Spark.
-Gurv Sidhu, Executive Producer
The Ambassador’s Daughter represents not just an exciting step forward for our collaboration as FilmFarsi but also a new territory of exploration for the new generation of artists we find ourselves within. Armon’s work has always carried an inherent familiarity with the charged intimacy and power of the smallest moments in life. That’s something Armon and I bonded over quickly before I agreed to start producing with him. When I first heard the concept for this film, I couldn’t get out of my head how tragically funny it was. For those in the Persian diaspora, there lies a real threat and concern that the success or popularity of certain work might translate into real consequences for returning to—or in some cases visiting for the first time—Iran. It’s an incredibly serious thing to hover over what are often humiliating and confusing proceedings that lead to success in creative industries. In making this project, I’m thrilled to explore the space between the identity of an artist and how far they’re willing to extend that for their own chance at success. There are elements of this film that only apply directly in context to circumstances American or Iranian, but when I consider the larger questions therein, it feels universal.
-Eli Bernstein, Executive Producer
“I often wonder what the Iranian-American voice will be and how a whole generation of displaced Iranian artists will engage with their own histories. I wanted to use this name as a sort of bridge between what came before and the present moment.” - Armon Mahdavi
Currently, the Film Farsi team has produced a variety of shorts and a feature that has led to critical acclaim and success in the festival circuit. Look forward to The Ambassador's Daughter and many more projects in the future.
Moss Beach
A literary translator in San Francisco is unexpectedly visited by her niece, who she has not seen since a tragic family event. The two then spend the weekend together in a small coastal town.
Awarded the Audience Award at the Lower East Side Film Festival.
Untitled, Jackson Heights
An Iranian mother living in Queens sends a letter to her far-away daughter.
Official Selections at Athens International Film and Video Festival, IFF Boston, SIFF, and Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. Currently premiering on NoBudge.
Kateh Gojeh Farangi
A young woman moving into her Brooklyn apartment makes a Persian recipe.
Partnered with Lights On.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera, Grip, and Lighting Package
Costs $3,500
Making movies is expensive, this money would go towards camera and lighting packages.
Production
Costs $3,250
Production costs encompass Locations, Transportation, Insurance, and Catering
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,000
We are taking an equitable approach. All members, whether they are cast or crew will be paid the same rate
Post-Production
Costs $1,000
Video editing, color correction, commentary, and sound mixing
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director/Producer: Armon Mahdavi is an Iranian-American writer and filmmaker from San Francisco. He now lives in New York City, where he has production-designed several short films and worked in the art department for features such as Past Lives, Eileen, and Mothers' Instinct.
His first feature, Moss Beach, premiered in 2023. Made for a micro-budget and a crew of five, the film centers around a literary translator in San Francisco and a weekend spent with her niece. The film went on to have a theatrical run at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn. His short film, Untitled, Jackson Heights, will have its world premiere at the Athens International Film and Video Fest in 2024 and continues to play at festivals around the country. As a fiction writer, he has also published short fiction in places such as Gulf Coast, La Piccioletta Barca, and Bricolage.
Filmography: Moss Beach (2023), Untitled, Jackson Heights (2024), Kateh Gojeh Farangi (2024)
Director of Photography/Producer: Aaron Champagne is a cinematographer-producer from Brooklyn, New York. He has worked in the camera department for TV shows and films such as Fleishman Is in Trouble, American Horror Stories, and Preparation for the Next Life. Champagne has a B.F.A in Film Photography and Visual Arts from Ithaca College, and has been a member of IATSE Local 600 since 2021. He is a co-chair of the Local 600 Young Workers Committee, and champions independent filmmaking as a space for exploration and growth.
Actor/Producer: Nancy Kimball is an actor-producer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Since graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she began working in television and independent film. She appeared in Showtime’s City on a Hill and made her feature film debut in Armon Mahdavi’s Moss Beach which won the Audience Award at the Lower East Side Film Festival. She’s helped lead many short films including Katya Ubakov’s Nothing Happened, Steven Hedrick Jr.’s Foundation, Ke Liu’s Same Stars Above Us, and Shawn Butcher’s Lessons which recently won Best Narrative Short at the Sarasota Film Festival. Her upcoming films include T.J. Sandella and Jad Adkins’ debut feature Battersea and Sarah Nixon’s Flesh & Blood.
Since Moss Beach, Nancy has helped produce Armon's films including Untitled, Jackson Heights (2024), and Kateh Gojeh Farangi (2024).
Assistant Director/Producer: Eli Bernstein is a filmmaker and producer from Seattle, Washington. He strives to create a wide range of challenging, singular films both non-fiction and narrative. Outside of his work with Film Farsi, he has produced the short horror comedy Growing Boy and directed the experimental documentary Public Space, as well as worked in the Assistant Director’s department of numerous New York productions including Fleishman is in Trouble, A Good Person, Exhibiting Forgiveness, and That Damn Michael Che
Producer: Gurv Sidhu is an Indian-American producer living in New York City. He initially started his professional career in Finance and has transitioned towards a career in Production. His pivot was motivated by a desire to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.
He started in the industry through the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Program. Here he had the opportunity to rotate through various departments on Feud Season 2. Since then, he has worked on American Horror Stories s3, Elsbeth, Daredevil, and most recently Kiss of the Spider Woman. Gurv is looking to impact the industry by seamlessly meshing his analytical background with his growing creative skillset.