A Conversation with Writer and Director Maziyar Khatam of The Sweater, at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival

The Sweater is a hilarious comedy, written and directed by Maziyar Khatam and co-produced by Anya Chirakova and Tyler Mason. In the short film, the lead character — played by Khatam (as himself) — is pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss. 

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The film had its international premiere this past February at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles and most recently screened at the 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival.

We had the opportunity to speak with writer and director, Maziyar (Maz) Khatam.

Atlanta Film and TV: What inspired the idea of a young man obsessively trying to reclaim a sweater — and why this particular item of clothing?

Maz: The Sweater was actually a gift from one of Anya’s friends, and I thought it was just an interesting sweater. It has the right amount of cheesiness and charm. Plus, I knew losing a sentimental item is a relatable situation that could be turned on its head and stand in for something more existential, like a young man’s feeling of masculinity.

Atlanta Film and TV: The act of being pressured into giving away his clothes suggests powerlessness. How does the story explore themes of masculinity and autonomy?

Maz: The main character listens to everyone but himself. He’s pressured into giving away the sweater and then subsequently pressured into getting it back. It was a key aspect of the film that we explore how young men are guided by toxic external sources. The sources proclaim a limited view of what a man is and prescribe what is acceptable and expected behaviour.

Atlanta Film and TV: Did you approach the sweater as just a symbolic object, or does it have deeper emotional or narrative significance?

Maz: The sweater symbolizes his masculinity, and reclaiming it is his way of asserting his manhood. Ultimately, we wanted the final scene to show that it’s all an illusion, a false societal construct. There needed to be an unsatisfying feeling associated with accomplishing his goal, reclaiming his “masculinity,” and a realization that external validation is not ultimately fulfilling.

Atlanta Film and TV: How did you balance humor and emotional intensity in portraying the protagonist's desperation?

Maz: I approach each scene honestly. I’m less concerned with performing something while keeping humour in mind and more interested in it being authentic to how I imagined this guy would react in the moment. There are certain aspects where using the moment was essential. I think the audience can feel the tension in the thrift store scene because it was actually intense. 

Atlanta Film and TV: Is the Thrift Store or 'donation abyss' portrayed as a metaphor for something larger — like consumer culture, loss, or transformation?

Maz: Not really. It mainly serves as an obstacle that the main character has to overcome. The only real transformation is when he realizes his apparent triumph is actually unimportant. 

Atlanta FIlm and TV: How does the film The Sweater handle the idea of personal identity being tied to material objects?

Maz: We’re not making a statement like “clothes make the man” or anything like that, but the sweater definitely represents an intrinsic quality. On the one hand, it is very much about a young man reclaiming his masculinity by overcoming an obstacle, but more completely, we’re subverting the idea of what society considers manly. He definitely places more importance on the sweater than just the material object. It becomes that elusive thing that will fix everything, if only he gets it. It's that thing we do in life, where we often think something will complete us, but later realize it doesn’t.

Atlanta Film and TV: Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to write or shoot due to the emotional vulnerability of the character?

Maz: The final scene was a tricky balance because it needed to be funny and painful. The thrift store scene was challenging from a technical standpoint, but not really due to any emotional vulnerability.

Atlanta Film and TV: You mentioned that during a Doctor's visit last year you were asked if you were an anxious person, and your response was “isn’t everyone?” You mentioned that the sentiment influenced the atmosphere and the tone of The Sweater. You also stated that “this film helped me realize that in my own life usually the simplest things diminish my self worth, leading me down a destructive path. What personal experiences or anxieties did you draw on while crafting the protagonist’s journey?

Maz: It's not a specific anxiety, but more this underlying desire to be seen—I think that’s especially common among younger people, particularly in filmmaking. There's this hope that if you put yourself out there, you’ll be noticed. And when that doesn’t happen, it can feel quietly devastating. I think, by nature, I carry a lot of anxiety with me

Atlanta Film and TV: How important is it to you that the audience sees the young man as relatable versus ridiculous?

Maz: I think he has to be relatable. Despite the absurd situation, it’s important for the audience to see some part of themselves in him. I’d really like the film's message to resonate in some way that might cause viewers to reconsider how they see the world and their place in it.

Atlanta Film and TV:  If viewers were to take away just one feeling or insight from the film, what would you want that to be?

Maz:: Sometimes things seem bigger than they are.

For more on The Sweater, be sure to follow @funnybonepictures on Instagram.