Stephen McEveety has produced some of the most compelling and profitable films in American cinema, including some of my favorites: Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, and more recently, the indie “biggie” Bella. He’s also no stranger to controversy and spectacle because of his involvement in the aforementioned Passion and an upcoming documentary on forgiveness in the aftermath of the Rwandan holocaust (As We Forgive). His latest project is The Stoning of Soraya M., a riveting, sliver-of-life film on the horrible practice of stoning and injustice in post-Islamic revolution Iran.
The Stoning of Soraya M. is based on the true-story account of a woman, Soraya (played by Mozhan Marno, from Charlie Wilson’s War), who is condemned to a torturous death at the hands of her own community of family and friends after her husband spreads false accusations throughout the village, simply because he desires to marry a young 14-year-old girl.
In 1994, a French-Iranian journalist, Freidoune Sahebjam, adapted the story into a bestselling book, whose eyewitness source was Soraya’s aunt, Zahra (played in the film by Shoreh Aghdashloo, seen in House of Sand and Fog and 24). Zahra secretly told Sahebjam the grisly details the day after the brutal murder happened in the village, where by seemingly divine coincidence, the journalist’s car broke down, stranding him as he waited for repairs.
Not since Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ has a movie affected me so deeply with such disturbing visuals and frustrating, emotional storytelling. It is gut-wrenchingly upfront with where its story is headed, and grabs you along the way to its inevitable conclusion.
I had the opportunity to chat with Stephen McEveety about Soraya and his involvement with the film, and why such a timely story needs to be told and seen in light of the current turmoil in Iran.
Efrain Gomez: I read in another one of your interviews that when you read the script, you immediately knew that it had to be told, even though you wondered who would finance a film like this.
Stephen McEveety: The first thing I thought was, “Who would make a movie like this?” And as I stared into the bathroom mirror, I realized that it had to be me. My contacts responded favorably and we were able to get money together pretty quickly. People knew it was something they wanted to be a part of, a contemporary story.
EG: Any opposition or conflicts with major studios? People not wanting to be a part of it?
SM: Well, no, I never expected major studios to want to be a part of this, so I didn’t try very hard. Soraya is clearly independent. You have to be independent to do such a tough story. And the big studios don’t normally venture into this. It’s outside the mold.
EG: When you see the title of the movie, and as you watch Soraya, there are two strong elements as a viewer: knowing what’s going to happen, and hoping it doesn’t.
SM: Yes, we had to let viewers know what they were getting into. People would be pretty upset if they didn’t. We had to let viewers know, and some people just cover their eyes.
EG: I read that it was important to depict Soraya’s killing graphically, so audiences would leave the theater affected (my family and I were, definitely). Can you expound a bit on that?
SM: It was important to be authentic. It’s such a horrific punishment, to water it down would be an injustice to its victims. I believe it’s also important for the current culture in Iran. And I believe we were quite successful (in being authentic) overall: the writer/director is Iranian [Cyrus Nowrasteh], the actors are Persian, most of the crew is Iranian or Middle Eastern. The movie and filmmaking process empowered the filmmakers to tell their story. Although I or my partner [at Mpower Pictures], John Shepherd, were there for production in the Middle East, it’s their story, not mine.
EG: This film almost definitely guarantees to offend. Since you’ve screened the film, any strong support or opposition from religious or women’s rights groups?
SM: Oh, women’s rights groups love this movie. And even religious groups love it as well. There are always going to be some who object, but surprisingly, it’s a small percentage. I think the film creates opportunities for great discussion.
With this film, the writing is great, the directing is good, and acting is sensational. The best performances I’ve experienced.
This film is art. That’s what I do. And I create and tell stories. My obligation as a storyteller is to entertain first and foremost. And it has to be well-done, it has to entertain. If not, no one’s listening. But if I do that well, there’s a chance that the word will get out.
EG: It seems that most audiences relate to stories involving the mistreatment of the innocent, and the “least” or “invisible” in the world. Why do you think that these kinds of these stories need to be told?
SM: If no one tells the story, no one knows about it and nothing can be done about it. I feel an obligation to tell the world if I can when I can, and I was able to do that with Soraya. We have to stand up for people who can’t help themselves. It’s part of our job as humans, our obligation.
I think you have to experience the movie. You have to be involved. And it becomes part of the solution, especially now with what’s going on [in Iran]. Just by viewing this you understand the situation better and engage and you want do something.
EG: As with The Passion of the Christ, a movie like The Stoning of Soraya M. could end with the death of its hero, but really the impact and message happens after that death by keeping the story alive and told. Thoughts?
SM: I think that Zahra asking the reporter to “take her voice” and share it with the world is key. That’s what happened and it turned into a fascinating film. It takes her voice and makes it accessible to a much broader audience.
EG: And the bloggers and Twitter people can help spread the word.
SM: Yes. I’ve not gotten much into Twitter world, but it’s a great experience, it helps bring awareness. And in some ways you can say part of the film’s success depends on word-of-tweet.
EG: What are your hopes for the future of this film?
SM: I hope it does well to help people that are never heard from. The victims of injustice. Since it’s a universal story, and there are victims everywhere in the world, I hope it can be a release. Because it’s their story, too. I hope it helps people who have suffered to move on. So they feel their story is told in a way.
EG: You’ve produced many great, profitable, moving stories. What has to stand out for you when choosing a story?
SM: I have to be engaged. I definitely want to turn the page and continue to read. If I do that it’s definitely a contender. And a whole lot of logistical and financial concerns will turn it into a movie. Cross those, and you can move forward.
This movie just kind of happened. It all fell into place, it was unusual. Money came together quickly from several sources. The story was so powerful, that people weren’t in it for profit, they knew it would be beneficial to the world.
EG: How does your relationship with God affect your decisions in choosing stories?
SM: Everything to do with my life, including the stories I tell. I want to tell stories that respect God and humanity. That guides me in terms of where I go.
EG: Do you ever look for stories of spiritual or faith-based content?
SM: I probably do. I think most of that eventually comes through my office. I don’t avoid it, but it’s not the only thing I look for. I like to deal with human stories, stories that affect your soul. I’m not a fan of clobbering people over the head with a message.
Human beings are 50% animal and 50% spiritual. Some movies appeal to just the animal. I like to expand that into the spiritual side of things. And there’s an enormous audience for the animal side, but people need to feed their souls.
EG: Any comments on the upcoming Mpower Films: As We Forgive and Snowmen?
SM: Snowmen comes out in the winter, it’s a wonderful family film. It’s fun, you’ll cry, you’ll laugh. It’s heartwarming and it touches the soul.
As We Forgive is a documentary we picked up about forgiveness in the Rwanda holocaust. It’s about how Rwanda is changing, and trying to deal with what happened. It’s a beautiful story.
And I have another movie we’re trying to box about Rwanda, also about forgiveness and spiritual warfare.
