Ramy Youssef & Hasan Minhaj Board SXSW Prize-Winner ‘Mustache’ As EPs
EXCLUSIVE: Actor-comedians Ramy Youssef (Ramy) and Hasan Minhaj (Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj) have boarded Mustache, the 2023 SXSW Audience Award winner from first-time feature filmmaker Imran J. Khan, as executive producers.
The pair join a stellar producing team, which also includes Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed and Allie Moore exec producing for Left-Handed Films (The Long Goodbye), Good Movies Inc., and producers Christina Won (Birdman) and Jessica Sittig, among others.
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Minhaj is now involved in a dual capacity, as he also has a comedic supporting role in the film.
An homage to John Hughes coming-of-age films, ’90s nostalgia, and awkward teenage transitions, Mustache is a Northern California story revolving around 13-year-old Ilyas, a Pakistani American portrayed by new discovery Atharv Verma, whose world is turned upside down when his parents abruptly transfer him from his familiar Islamic private school to the challenges of public education.
Struggling with the mash-up of two very different identities and his insecurities, particularly his inescapable prepubescent mustache, Ilyas grapples with the daunting prospect of adapting to his new environment. Determined to go back to his former school, he hatches a comical scheme, yet ultimately discovers the importance of self-acceptance amidst the chaos.
Pic’s cast also includes Rizwan Manji (Schitt’s Creek), pop star Meesha Shafi (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Alicia Silverstone (Reptile) and Ayana Manji (Mira, The Royal Detective), among others. UTA Independent Film Group is leading worldwide sales for the film.
In a statement to Deadline on his involvement with Mustache, Minhaj said, “Imran J. Khan is one of the most exciting new filmmakers and collaborators I’ve known. With ‘Mustache’, I can’t wait for the world to see his quirky off-kilter humor and genre bending sensibilities. This has been twenty years in the making and it feels like we’re just getting started.”
Added Khan: “I couldn’t have dreamt up a better team of champions for MUSTACHE. My longtime multi-talented friend, Hasan Minhaj, and the creative visionary, Ramy Youssef joining our already amazing team of producers is an absolute blessing.”
Best known for creating and starring in the Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning Hulu series Ramy, Youssef has been on a hot streak of late with the release of his latest HBO comedy special, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings, an Emmy nomination for his directing on The Bear, and a starring role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar winner Poor Things. Currently, he’s in production on Golf, a Netflix comedy series he’s created with Will Ferrell, in which both star.
Currently on a national tour with his new stand-up show Hasan Minhaj: Off with His Head, Minhaj is part of the cast of Sony’s Colleen Hoover adaptation It Ends with Us, which has so far commanded an impressive $93M+ at the box office. He’s also recently co-starred in Neon’s acclaimed pregnancy dramedy Babes and wrapped production on Disney’s Tron: Ares. At the moment, he’s also producing a feature with Amazon through his production company 186K.
Youssef is represented by WME and Entertainment 360; Minhaj by WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
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