Funnyman Maz Jobrani co-wrote and stars in the new indie movie called “Jimmy Vestvood” which is about an Iranian who wins a green card lottery ticket and moves to America where he becomes an “Amerikan Hero.” Maz calls it “the Persian Pink Panther meets Borat.”
“We wanted to do a movie where the guy who saves the day in the end of the movie is of Middle Eastern descent,” says Maz. “Because as you know, nine times out of 10 when you see a Middle Easterner in an American movie, he is saying, ‘I will kill you in the name of Allah.’ It’s usually a terrorist or a bad guy, so we said how about a movie that’s made in America that actually has the guy who saves the day.”
The indie film was a labor of love for the filmmakers (the film was directed by Jonathan Kesselman), and took ten years to be brought to the screen. “Hollywood does not know that there is an audience for this type of film, but I know through my standup comedy that there is an audience that wants to see Middle Easterners in a positive and fun light,” says Maz. “Not just Middle Easterners, but also Americans who come to my shows who want to see a different side of Middle Easterners.”
For more on the film (and show times): Jimmy Vestvood .
