I Am a Sex Addict (2005)

Director:

Caveh Zahedi

Writer:

Caveh Zahedi (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy

Plot:

Autobiographical comedy about a recovering sex addict, about his obsession with prostitutes, and how that affected his relationships and his life altogether.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Marriage | Autobiographical | Sex | New York City

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Caveh Zahedi	...	Himself
Christoff Colas	...	Man with Beret
Rebecca Lord	...	Prostitute / Caroline
Lindsey Tjian	...	Anna
Jenny Pompor	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Michelle Roesler	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Melanie Bonne	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Anastasia Vega	...	Oscar Presenter
Seymour Kramer	...	Movie Theater Walkout
Sylvia Grosneau	...	French Film Producer
Phillip Minnig	...	College Friend
Thomas Logoreci	...	Anna's Husband
Angelina Moysov	...	French Prostitute
Jacqueline Wright	...	French Prostitute
Heidi Dupre	...	French Prostitute
Alexandra Guerineaud	...	French Prostitute
Maggie Foster	...	French Prostitute
Paula van der Zwaan	...	French Prostitute
Vanessa Von Avalon	...	French Prostitute
Sara Granovetter	...	French Prostitute
Bruna Matsin	...	French Prostitute (as Bruna Atkinson)
Katherine Bettis	...	Woman in Movie Theater
Valentine Fillol-Cordier	...	French Woman in Subway
Edouard Dorier	...	French Man in Cathedral
Olia Natasha	...	Hotel Room Prostitute
Howard Junker	...	French Doctor
Aaron Roland	...	French Doctor
David Klonoff	...	French Doctor
Tiffany Mink	...	First L.A. Prostitute
Jennifer Corey	...	Second L.A. Prostitute
Jeni Ring	...	Additional L.A. Prostitute
Alithia Garcia-Romero	...	Additional L.A. Prostitute
Angelica Porter	...	Additional L.A. Prostitute
Emily Morse	...	Christa
Steve Riggs	...	Party Guy
Aaron Cho	...	Party Guest
Roland Aujero	...	Party Guest
Cassandra Trainor	...	Sexy Woman in Museum
Laurel Lee	...	Sexy Woman at Gas Station
Mara Luthane	...	Newscaster
Jing Zhang	...	Massage Parlor Woman
Greg Watkins	...	Greg
Michael Fox	...	Freudian Therapist
Harvey Schwartz	...	Jungian Therapist
Harvey Schwartz	...	Jungian Therapist
Paul Cotten	...	Russian Therapist
Corinna Chan	...	Asian Masseuse
James Anne Farrell	...	Couples' Therapist
Katarina Fabic	...	L.A. Night Prostitute
Amanda Henderson	...	Devin
Michelle Sweeney	...	Paola
Stephanie Carwin	...	Italian Prostitute
Beatrice Basso	...	Paola's Friend
Lisa Di Costanzo	...	Paola's Friend
Roberto Marchesini	...	Paola's Friend
Pia La Rocca	...	Paola's Friend
James Stolich	...	Paola's Friend
Luciano Chessa	...	Paola's Friend
Lucia Filanti	...	Paola's Friend
Bunny Bunns	...	German Street Prostitute
Siobhan Wright	...	German Street Prostitute
Lisa Atty Ferry	...	German Street Prostitute
Jasmine Raff	...	German Brothel Prostitute
Cleary Clinger	...	German Brothel Prostitute
Erin Mahoney	...	German Brothel Prostitute
Julia Fuller	...	German Brothel Prostitute
Monika Hoyt	...	Black-haired Prostitute
Kathrynne McCurdy	...	Stripper
Arndt Peltner	...	Brothel Bartender
Natalia Tikhonova	...	Blond Brothel Prostitute
Kat Voldal	...	Black-haired Prostitute #2
Elrod	...	German Cab Driver (as Elrod III)
Jay Rosenblatt	...	L.A. Therapist
John Szabo	...	Sex Addict Speaker
Joel Shepard	...	Sex Addict
Mick Diener	...	Sex Addict
Edward Feldman	...	Sex Addict
Doug May	...	Sex Addict
James Gavin	...	Sex Addict
Ali Dadgar	...	Sex Addict
Matthew Gardner	...	Sex Addict
Daniel Gamburg	...	Sex Addict
Alexander Mazo	...	Sex Addict
Stamatis Marinos	...	Sex Addict
Michael Hoexter	...	Sex Addict
Brook Dillon	...	Sex Addict
Howard Besserman	...	Sex Addict
Jonathan Mitchell	...	Sex Addict
Peter Jacques	...	Sex Addict
Julian Camp	...	Sex Addict
Me Sook Ko	...	Woman (voice)
Barbara Speer	...	Woman (voice)
Ilaria Ventriglia	...	Woman (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Colin O'Herlihy	...	Sex Addict at S / A Meeting (scenes deleted)
Vicca	...	German brothel prostitute

Directed by
Caveh Zahedi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Caveh Zahedi		writer

Produced by
Richard Clark	....	executive producer
Moe Ghassemi	....	associate producer
Thomas Logoreci	....	producer
Greg Watkins	....	producer
Corey Weinstein	....	associate producer
Matthew L. Weiss	....	associate producer (as Matthew Weiss)
Caveh Zahedi	....	producer

Original Music by
Hilary Soldati

Cinematography by
Greg Watkins

Film Editing by
Thomas Logoreci
Caveh Zahedi

Casting by
Thomas Logoreci

Makeup Department
Debra Dietrich	....	hair stylist
Alicia Rose Lecce	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Bernhard Lhert	....	post-production supervisor (as Bernard Lhert)
Roger Scott	....	post-production supervisor

Art Department
Yael Braha	....	graphic designer
Yael Braha	....	storyboard artist
Anne Collier	....	artist: museum art
Paul Connolly	....	carpenter
Holly Fisher	....	storyboard artist
Michael Gilette	....	artist: bathroom graffiti
Irene Morris	....	graphic designer
Nienke Prins	....	artist: Rimbaud illustrations

Sound Department
Miik Dinko	....	dialogue editor
Miik Dinko	....	sound effects editor
Lawrence Dolton	....	sound designer
Lawrence Dolton	....	voiceover recordist
Abie Hadjitarkhani	....	sound recordist
Scott Koué	....	supervising sound editor
Ralph Leith	....	voiceover recordist
Jim Lively	....	dialogue editor
Thomas Logoreci	....	sound recordist
Eduardo Mendoza	....	voiceover recordist
Jeremiah Moore	....	sound designer
Jeremiah Moore	....	sound effects editor
Dave Nelson	....	sound designer
Dave Nelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dave Nelson	....	sound supervisor
Greg Sextro	....	sound designer: Rimbaud sequence
Greg Sextro	....	sound recordist
Matthew L. Weiss	....	sound recordist (as Matthew Weiss)

Visual Effects by
Craig Chapman	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Frazer Bradshaw	....	additional camera operator
Lisa Fremont	....	set photographer
Gary Green	....	additional camera operator
Emily Hughes	....	set photographer
John Kiffmeyer	....	key grip
Thomas Logoreci	....	additional camera operator
Monica Mejia	....	set photographer
Nancy Sarrouf	....	set photographer
Elina Shatkin	....	additional camera operator
Matthew L. Weiss	....	additional camera operator (as Matthew Weiss)

Animation Department
Bob Sabiston	....	animator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Felicity Gifford	....	wardrobe
Cindy Harlan	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
John Behrens	....	color corrector
J. Davis	....	editing consultant
Chris Dupont	....	additional editor
Edward Feldman	....	additional editor
Brook Hinton	....	color corrector
Stamatis Marinos	....	assistant editor
Sarah Marx	....	assistant editor
Miles Montalbano	....	color corrector
Jay Rosenblatt	....	editing consultant
Matthew L. Weiss	....	additional editor (as Matthew Weiss)

Music Department
Brett Chapman	....	music rights
Jonathan Hafter	....	music rights (as John Hafter)
Zoe Keating	....	composer: additional music

Transportation Department
Colin O'Herlihy	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Jason Bates	....	wigs by
Alex Bernette	....	wigs by
Ami Capen	....	production assistant
Liza Chan	....	researcher
Jamie Chow	....	location manager
Nicolas Duchemin	....	location manager (as Nicholas Duchemin)
Amanda Field	....	creative consultant
Alithia Garcia-Romero	....	location manager
Katie Gorman	....	production assistant
Sam Green	....	cross bearer
Spencer Hicks	....	production assistant
Chris 'Casper' Kelly	....	script consultant (as Chris Kelly)
Janey Kim	....	researcher
Wu Li Leung	....	production assistant
Ben Lieberman	....	script consultant
Thomas Logoreci	....	creative consultant
Dawn Nott	....	accountant
Penelope Pfefferkuch	....	wigs by
Fabian Redrovan	....	production assistant
Bradley Richie	....	production assistant
Rahel Smith	....	accountant
Greg Watkins	....	creative consultant
Traci Waugh	....	location manager

Thanks
Jonathan Marlow	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Reinventing the Wheel

Distributors

• Ocule Films (2006) (non-USA) (all media)
• IFC Films (2006) (USA) (all media)
• IFC Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Cinetic Media  sales
• Rights Workshop, The  clip clearance

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Australia:R | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Reinventing the Wheel

Trivia:

When the completed project was rejected by Sundance, Zahedi tried to distribute the film himself. It was only after he won the Gotham Award, for "Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You," that producers began returning his calls, and IFC picked up the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Italian prostitute says her fee is "100,000 lira." "Lira" is the singular form (like "dollar"). She should have said "100,000 lire" (the correct plural form, like "dollars").

Movie Connections:

Features Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)

Soundtrack:

My Baby Love Love Loves Me

Quirky and Charming.

Caveh, the director and lead actor of the film has a rather interesting problem; he is addicted to sex with prostitutes. The film is comprised of narrations re-telling the stories of his failed attempts to stop his addiction and the relationships that are destroyed as a result. Mixed in the narration is interview footage of Caveh just before his wedding (his third), where he narrates his struggle. He eventually finds recovery in a 12-step program, and finds a level of happiness.

At the U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film festival, he revealed that the vast majority of these very personal and embarrassing stories were true. Also, his wife was in the audience and he reports that after 7 years his relationship is strong.

As for the film, it's actually very funny, as Caveh is able to present dysfunctional scenarios in a self-defacing and humorous light. It's a shame that a movie like this will probably never get distributed world-wide, but if you see it at a film festival, go see it. Highly recommended.