Desert Dancer

It took director Richard Raymond an extremely long time to raise enough money to make Desert Dancer due to the nature and subject matter of the film.


Desert Dancer follows the true, inspiring story of a brave Iranian dancer, Afshin Ghaffarian. Set in Tehran during the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election and the start of the “Green Movement,” Afshin and a group of dancers (including “Elaheh” played by Freida Pinto) risk their lives and form an underground dance company.

It took director Richard Raymond an extremely long time to raise enough money to make Desert Dancer due to the nature and subject matter of the film.

It took director an extremely long time to raise enough money to make due to the nature and subject matter of the film.

A few weeks after the premiere of Heartless director Richard Raymond read a news story about an Iranian dancer named who was arrested after putting on a performance in the desert. “I had no prior connection to dance, and I never in a million years thought it would be the subject of my first feature but I found it to be absolutely fascinating as an artist and a filmmaker.” said Raymond

It took many months to convince Afshin to share his story, until finally Raymond and writer flew to meet him in Paris. They spent eight hours listening and recording Ghaffarian’s incredible story of resistance and resilience. This interview became the framework for their screenplay.

As he prepared to undertake his first feature film, Raymond had to convince financiers that he was the right person to helm the project. So the young director decided to film a promo piece with portions of a “desert dance” scene in the Wadi Rum desert in , with Ghaffarian playing himself.

The Jordanian authorities had other ideas. Afshin wasn’t allowed to be in the country. When Raymond inquired why, the authorities explained that because he was a male dancer, he must also be a homosexual.

Fortunately, Raymond had an idea. He had recently seen and been impressed with Reece Ritchie in a small role. Beyond being a tremendous actor, Ritchie has significant martial arts training so Raymond knew he could handle the strenuous dance sequences. Ritchie had additional qualities that did not go unnoticed. The physical likeness he had to Afshin was uncanny. The actor called his agent and said “I’m playing this part, come hell or high water.” Reece got on the next plane to Jordan, and almost immediately found himself dancing in the desert.

He was particularly sensitive to the challenge of casting “Elaheh,” a trained dancer who helped Ghaffarian and his friends refine their dance skills. “Elaheh,” is also the woman Ghaffarian loved and had to leave when he escaped Iran.

After honing the script, Raymond sent it to ‘s office (‘s agent) for Freida and the Slumdog Millionaire actress immediately responded to it. In trying to secure Pinto for the role, Raymond was very mindful of being “a first-time director with no credentials” but felt confident that he had a great story.

On first reading of the script, Pinto recalled, “Elaheh’s character literally popped off the page. Not only was it a role I had never done before, I was also inspired to portray the voice of repressed youth who don’t have any hope.”

There were no body doubles in Desert Dancer. Pinto trained for a year and Raymond waited for the financing. There was a moment where Raymond thought he may have to use a body-double to film the more challenging sequences. But as they readied a complicated scene something shined through in Freida during her dance. Raymond realized Pinto was more than capable of performing the sequences herself and did not need a double.

MoreMovieDetails

All Posts
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Share this article: Desert Dancer

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Email

MORE TOPICS

Tim Sullivan wrote the original story Shrek Goes Fourth, but Darren Lemke and Josh Klausner made the rewrites, and Mike Mitchell directed the new installment, replacing Chris Miller, who directed the previous film, while Shrek and Shrek 2 are both directed by Andrew Adamson. Also, all the principal cast members reprised their roles. On November 25, 2009, DreamWorks Animation announced that the Shrek series would end with Shrek Forever After being The Final Chapter.

Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After, taglined as Shrek: The Final Chapter, is a 2010 animated comedy fantasy-family film, and it is the fourth and final installment in the Shrek film series. The film is produced by Dreamworks Animation and is distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Sam Mendes

Samuel Alexander “Sam” Mendes, CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English stage and film director. His contribution to cinema and theatre saw him awarded a CBE in 2000

Mad Max: Fury Road

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max (Tom Hardy) believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron).

Ride Along 2

In Ride Along, fast-talking security guard Ben Barber (Kevin Hart), newly accepted into the academy, joined James Payton (Ice Cube)—a quick-tempered Atlanta Police Department detective—to patrol the streets of
Atlanta.

Richard Dreyfuss said that he accepted the role only after Bob Weinstein persuaded him by offering the actor a larger salary. Dreyfuss also stated that the ill-fated character he plays, is a parody and a near-reincarnation of Matt Hooper, the character he portrayed in the 1975 film Jaws.

Piranha 3-D

Piranha 3D is a 3D horror film and the second remake of the 1978 film, directed by Alexandre Aja and featuring an ensemble cast including Jessica Szohr, Adam Scott, Elisabeth Shue, Kelly Brook, Richard Dreyfuss, Jerry O’Connell, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, Dina Meyer, Cody Longo, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Paul Scheer, and Eli Roth.