American Wrestler: The Wizard is a 2016 American sports biographical film directed by Alex Ranarivelo. The film centers around the world of competitive high school wrestling and stars George Kosturos as Ali Jahani, a 17–year old who escapes Iran in the 1980s after the Iran hostage crisis and must adjust to life in a small California town only to face more hostility due to the hostage crisis. William Fichtner, Jon Voight, Ali Afshar, Gabriel Basso, Kevin G. Schmidt and Lia Marie Johnson also star in supporting roles.
Cast George Kosturos as Ali Jahani William Fichtner as Coach Plyler Ali Afshar as Hafez Tabad Lia Marie Johnson as Kristi Larsen Gabriel Basso as Jimmy Petersen Sasha Feldman as Dan 'Toad' Webster Chase Mowen as Mike Thornhill Kevin G. Schmidt as Roman Knox Nicholas Guilak as Pasha Shannon Collis as Wendy
Production Development The idea for American Wrestler: The Wizard is heavily inspired by producer Ali Afshar who took up wrestling in his high school after fleeing from his home country of Iran due to the political outrage in the 1970s. Speaking on his take of biographical films, Ali stated that he wanted to show that any tough situation can have a positive impact no matter what the outcome. He wanted to emphasise the demeanour of how one's loss can actually be turned into a win.
Majority of the filming took place in Petaluma, California, with scenes being shot at Casa Grande High School (which was renamed to East Petaluma High School for the film), as well as Tomales high school for hallway scenes, cafeteria scenes, as well as the gymnasium being used for some wrestling scenes. Some scenes were also shot in Santa Rosa mainly in the Sonoma County area.
Music Jamie Christopherson who previously worked on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and The Crow: Wicked Prayer composed the film's score. Christopherson used a blend of traditional orchestra and synths and worked with Iranian musicians. He also co-composed the film's theme song titled "Rise" with Armenian-Iranian singer, Andy featuring American singer Shani Rigsbee.
Release The film premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 23, 2016 and had a limited theatrical run starting May 3, 2017.
Accolades EventDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult Austin Film Festival25 October 2016Heart of FilmBrian RudnickBoston Film Festival22 Sep 2016Best FilmAlex Ranarivelo, Ali Afshar and Hadeel Reda Best Ensemble CastJon Voight, William Fichtner, George Kosturos, Ali AfsharGabriel Basso, Lia Marie Johnson, Kevin G. SchmidtNicholas Guilak, Sasha Feldman and Salome Azizi Best ScreenplayBrian RudnickBreakout PerformanceGeorge Kosturos Napa Film Festival12 November 2016Favourite ActorSpecial Jury Award – Best Performance in a Lounge Feature FilmFavorite Narrative FeatureAmerican Wrestler: The WizardNewport Beach Film Festival23 April 2016Honor Award for Outstanding Achievement in FilmmakingAlex RanariveloJury Award for Best ActorGeorge Kosturos
Sequel The sequel titled American Wrestler: The Fighter was announced by producers Forrest Lucas and Ali Afshar. Principal photography began in North Carolina in June 2017. George Kosturos returns to star with Tommy Flanagan, Bryan Craig, Sean Patrick Flanery and Parviz Sayyad joining as new cast members.
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