Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayvon Derak Shanian.
Hi Kayvon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My family immigrated to the U.S. from Iran when I was only 9 years old. We came here at a good time. Life was very simple and peaceful not only in Iran but here in the States. We looked different than our neighbors and friends which was seen as exotic like we had come from the land of enchantment. People would ask us where we were from and when I told them “Iran” the majority of people had no clue where that was or they would say, “What a beautiful country we just vacationed there.“
Then two years later, the Iran revolution took place and not only did it make life more challenging for people in Iran but it made our life here in the U.S. more complicated. We were now looked at as the enemy even from the people that we were close to. My father being afraid for our safety, he introduced my brother and I to Karate. Something I gravitated towards and continued for many years.
Cut to a few years later, I was in 8th grade; the portable VHS camcorder had just hit the market, here comes my neighborhood friend showing off the state-of-the-art camera with title features that he got for his birthday!
That weekend, with a combined $18 in our pockets, we set out to create an epic masterpiece. We knew nothing about video cameras nor how to tell to tell a story; but we were both into karate, so we decided it would be a martial arts action film in the vein of “Enter the Dragon”. We called it “Enter the Black Belt”. We came up with the basic premise and pretty soon all the neighborhood kids got involved.
With a cast of eight, we began to shoot in the back lots of Lake Forest, California. Back then, we had no editing equipment, so we edited in the camera as we were shooting. We shot the entire film in four hours, and that same night we had a private screening in our living room. Even though the audience was made up of our relatives and friends, their reaction to the film made me realize that even though I couldn’t always verbally express my thoughts, this was a tool that I could use to make people feel a certain way or to express myself. It was clear to me at that point that this is what I wanted to pursue.
Long story short, after I graduated from high school, I went straight into film school even though the subject of filmmaking was a far-fetched idea for my parent to grasp but they supported me the best way they could.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
This journey hasn’t been smooth sailing to say the least. I think my thoughts and concepts might have been a bit too ambitious for my own good. We made the first Iranian horror film with an “A” List Iranian Actor that the audience wasn’t ready to see. My 2nd film was a low-budget karate action film that did really well and sold worldwide but we got completely taken by the distribution company and hardly saw any money even though it was sold to all the blockbusters and Hollywood videos. Then we got taken again for my 3rd film by another distributor to a point that I didn’t want to continue in this field.
It’s very discouraging as a filmmaker when you put your heart and soul in a project only to be ripped off by the agents. So I completely stopped making films and switched over to running a film festival for 12 years which became one of the biggest festivals in Orange County, California.
It was a great experience because I met so many people in the industry and this was the turning point for me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Love Project Films. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
In 2015 with a friend of mine (Oscar Alvarez), we formed a company called Love Project Films. We took subjects that we have experienced in our life and turned them into documentaries that we would like to watch ourselves, hoping that what we like, other people would enjoy as well. Our first one was called “Empty Hand” about 5 karate competitors who strive to become a national champion, premiered at the Academy Accredited Doc NYC and many others that followed. That gave us the confidence that we were on the right track. If you’re gonna make a film, do it with your heart or your film is heartless.
That followed into another Doc that was based on my Karate Teacher, who had done the stunt work for Pat Morita in all 4 of the Karate kid films entitled “The Real Miyagi”. That film starred some of the martial Art Heavy hitters in the business. A worldwide Netflix deal would only confirm that we were on the right path.
Other Documentaries that followed, The story of Pat Morita called “More Than Miyagi” Starring Henry Winkler, Tommy Chong, Ralph Macchio, Esai Morales and many others… they all went on to win bigger and better awards.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I am grateful that I have met so many talented and encouraging people in my life who are helping me to tell my stories. This year has been overwhelming with the number of projects that are in the pipeline, all leading to the one big feature based on my childhood that I’m hoping to begin filming in 2024!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flowcode.com/page/kevinderek
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinderek/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-derek/
