The film Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero stars Maz Jobrani as Jimmy Vestvood (a play off of Clint Eastwood),  was screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center on September 25th, follows an Iranian immigrant, Jimmy Vestvood,  who is determined to be a private investigator. The film simultaneously poked fun at the quirks of Iranian and American culture, while celebrating them through humor and comedy.

Maz even put on a mini-improv show with a colleague of his prior to the start of the film. During a question and answer session at the end of the film, Jobrani urged the audience to be people of action. He started his acting career playing stereotyped roles in the media. He realized he didn’t want to reinforce this generalization as a man of Iranian heritage. This led him to Jimmy Vestvood, and the power to show Iranians in a new light and to draw attention to their talents as artists. Jobrani also took questions about his filmmaking process, the political and social implications of the film, and plans for a sequel. The screening was more than just about watching a film, it was about community identity and empowerment. MALA was honored to be included in the event.