‘Wayne Doc’ is actually a ‘geopolitical thriller’ – The Hollywood Reporter
“SOM: Cup of Redemption” cinematographer Jackson Myers (left) and director Jason Wise set their cameras on the vines surrounding the ancient monastery of Khor Virap in Armenia.
Courtesy of Forgotten Man Films.
When Jason Wise set out to make the fourth documentary in his filmography Som The series was intended to be a film centered around history and religion – “the movie”. Planet Earth of wine” — but after meeting a winemaker named Vahi Keushgerian in Armenia, those plans changed.
Soum: The Cup of Salvation The film centers on Keushguerian and his daughter Aimee, now a winemaker in her own right, and their efforts to put Armenian wine on the map.
While filming, Fahey went on a trip to Iran to find out what happened to the Racha vineyards after the country banned alcohol in 1979. Without spoiling too much, ArgoThe -esque mission was fruitful – and they made the first wine from Iranian grapes in nearly 50 years under their Molana label.
Wise has become known for his wine docs – he has directed three previous films Som movies and launched Somm TV, a subscription streaming platform dedicated to food and wine — but he didn’t necessarily brand it The cup of salvation as one. Yes, the film is about wine, but Wise really sees it as a “geopolitical thriller” and a father-daughter story. The complex narrative – and the risks involved – made it a challenge to promote.
“You have to figure out how you’re going to put it,” Wise explains, adding that the typical tendency is to highlight the most dramatic or bizarre element of the story to grab attention. Here, they’re trying to strike a balance between encouraging people to watch the film and not seeming like they’re bragging about pulling a film against the Iranian government. “Normally, if you’re doing a horror movie, you’re going to show the scariest, most gruesome thing. You’re pushing it as far as you can. When you’re making this kind of movie, these are real people and their lives are affected by how this movie is received. It’s the dream and the scariest thing you can get.” On it for a film director. The excitement of making Vahe’s and Aimee’s wines known to the world outweighs the anxiety, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it.
The film, which Wise is distributing himself, began a limited theatrical run in October. It will be shown at Angelika in New York from December 7-10 and in Los Angeles later this month. (More information here.)
The wise man spoke with Hollywood Reporter On how his film took a dramatic narrative turn — and why he’s still a little nervous about Fahey’s “horrific” trip to Iran.
Let’s go back a little. What got you interested in wine in the first place?
The real answer is that I was in film school and I fell in love with a girl whose father collected wine. I was working as a waiter in a very nice restaurant at the time, but I didn’t know much about it. Around the same time I got a job directing a travel show for PBS, so we were all over France and Italy and I got really immersed. (I thought) If I learn about wine, I can impress this girl’s father. I ended up marrying this woman. She is the producer and co-writer of this film. Her name is Christina. Then I started making Som by accident. I was trying to make a different film that followed these people, and it’s been off to the races ever since.
I started making a different film this time too. Can you walk me through what you were up to and how this pivot came about?
I’m somewhat obsessed with history. I love him. I was preparing a project related to the history of religion and wine. I (obtained) permission to film in the Vatican Secret Archives. We shot in the Dominican Republic, Chile, all over South America, Portugal, and Burgundy. We closed the airspace over Mount Vesuvius and filmed in Pompeii. We did crazy things in this movie. It’s like the most beautiful thing. It supposed to be Planet Earth Of wine.
While we were in Armenia, which was supposed to be just the beginning of this movie, we got into a war. There were so many things that happened in this movie that we had to focus on and narrow down into the father-daughter story. That’s basically what I think, but it’s also a geopolitical story of a country rising from the ashes and trying to reclaim the past. I think (making the decision to change range) comes from a little bit of maturity, knowing that you should follow the river rather than trying to build a dam. This has been by far the most personal project I’ve ever done.
How did you find Fahey and Amy Koshgerian?
One of the people who was helping us said to me, ‘You need to meet this guy Fahey. He might turn out to be the Robert Mondavi of this whole country.’ We had lunch with him, and I think we drank seven bottles of wine. This guy is amazing. I looked at my cinematographer, and he said : “Don’t even say that. I know you change the whole movie. So, we did. I met Vahe without any pre-production. I never spoke to him until I got on the ground to film in Armenia, and turned the whole thing towards him and his daughter. I think Amy is honestly the most fascinating character in the movie.
Fahey and Amy Koshgerian in Somm: Cup of Salvation.
The Forgotten Man films
How did the trip to Iran to pick grapes take place?
Halfway through the interview, Fahey asked me: “Did you know you are on the Iranian border?” It blew my mind. For thousands and thousands of years, it was the center of the grape-growing world. In 1978, the French were investing hundreds of millions of dollars in wineries in Iran. I mean there were 500 wineries there. (Alcohol was banned in Iran in 1979 after the revolution.) So I asked him: What happened to all the grapes? He said: I don’t know. I’d love to know that.”
Later, when the war ended badly for Armenia, he called me and said: “I need something beautiful in my life. What if we do what we talked about and go to Iran?” Armenians can travel to Iran as tourists. It is the only country that can do that. I told him: “You have to come in. “We have to figure it out, and all you’re doing is getting the fruit.”
It was kind of him and I encouraging each other. Vahe pulled the connections brilliantly at such speed. We were able to find an amateur film crew in Tehran. I was able to live remotely via WhatsApp video. It was a very strange process. We did a lot of planning, and a lot of storyboarding. In many cases, Fahey had to go alone and there was no reception. We checked in every day, and I was so nervous. I was very afraid for him. I still kind of am.
Did the local crew think they were making something else?
Yes. We just didn’t tell them everything because they’re obviously not in the credits, and we blurred out the faces. I don’t want any farmer to get into trouble because of us. We basically said, “We’re doing a travel show, and this is going to focus on the history of the fruit.”
It was during this period during the Corona virus that there was not much happening in the country. As for who the board allowed to film, it was like, who cares about this little thing? Therefore, they were able to obtain drone permits. We were able to get these things because we didn’t get much of them. It was a very lucky situation. I think if the coronavirus had not happened, there would be no chance that we would be able to do this.
What worried you most?
Without asking Fahy, and also to Amy. The worry you see on her face throughout this film is real. I think she was realizing, in real time, what were the ramifications of this? Grapes are not fermented in Iran, but the Iranian government does not want to be fooled. This is very dangerous to get caught doing. Therefore, my biggest concern was to get Vahi back to Armenia safely, which was a challenge. It was very nerve-wracking. I don’t think I slept at all for six or seven days while this whole process was going on.
He flew from Tehran to Moscow, which was another major concern. He holds several different passports. He was technically born in Syria and then ended up in Lebanon, but it doesn’t look good when you have four passports and arrive in Moscow. He had all the memory cards, the only existing tape of what we had done. They arrested him, searched him, and that was it. Of course, what did they see? Grapes, harvest, and planting, and it seemed like nothing to them. He was able to get it all out of the country. It was horrific, to say the least. It was like every time we thought, okay, we’re safe, something else is going to happen.
At what point did you stop feeling like we should have done this?
I’ll let you know when that happens.
What happened from that moment on?
The problem with wine documentaries is that you have to wait a year and a half, or sometimes more, for the wine to get into the bottle. It’s been a very long wait for this cut. In the waiting process, he was basically sitting with a secret. There were many moments where I felt like we made a bad decision to do this. When that young woman was killed in Iran and all the protests happened, that happened to be the area we filmed in. It was very scary because I didn’t want people to be in danger because of what we did. I remember talking to a lot of people on our team, is this the right decision? Should we have done this? I had to sit with that for about a year and a half, two years, because the process of making a film about something takes a long time to finish.
I want this to be a movie that does something good. It’s this kind of geopolitical stunt, but it actually allows the culture to re-experience something that has been a part of it for many years. It’s not the alcohol that people miss with wine. For all Iranians living in the United States, Canada, and Europe who cannot return, I hope this film will give them a glimmer of hope or at least make them realize that that culture has not disappeared. There’s this line at the end of the movie. “Water divides people, but wine brings them together,” says Mo Mumtazi, a Persian winemaker who tastes it with his daughter and becomes emotional. The more I think about this line, the more I find that this very wonderful thing is very real.
How would you describe this film to people who aren’t necessarily interested in wine?
this is funy. I’m going to steal something from someone. There’s a friend of mine here in Los Angeles who’s a writer and he was one of the first people I sent this message to. He said: The first Som The film is not a wine film, it is a sports film. “This is not a wine movie, it is a geopolitical thriller.” It stuck with me when he said that, and I’d say he’s right. There’s obviously a big historical element, but a lot of it is set up for what’s to come. So, it’s definitely a movie about geopolitics, but from an angle I haven’t seen before.
It’s also a movie that plays out in real time, which is not common. Before I say it’s a wine movie, I’d like to say it’s a geopolitical thriller about the Middle East and a region that’s been at war for a very long time and it’s all about wine. This is the best answer I can give you. Now that I’ve watched it a billion times, to me it’s a father-daughter story.
The other documentary you initially started, where are you in the production of this one?
it’s called Wine life. We are in the mail. We’re editing it now and doing something crazy with the music in it. I’ve never seen anything like this done. It should be ready to go at the end of March, beginning of April, maybe even sooner.
Final question: Did you succeed? Does your father-in-law like you?
Yes. Much more often than my wife. He’s one of my favorite humans on the planet, and we probably drink a lot of wine together. Yes, I succeeded.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
