Sam Asghari Fights Human Trafficking in New Thriller

The action thriller short "The Good American" has concluded filming, starring Sam Asghari as Ben, an Iranian refugee and rideshare driver in Los Angeles. Ben finds himself drawn into a criminal underworld when he agrees to help a passenger rescue her twin sister from a human trafficking operation orchestrated by Russian mobsters.

Director and co-writer Alex Fazeli drew inspiration from a New York Times report detailing the detention of Iranian American citizens at the US-Canada border following a U.S. drone strike. Fazeli, who immigrated from Iran at age 12, shared his personal connection to the themes of displacement and the search for belonging, questioning the definition of being a "good American."

Asghari, whose family also relocated from Iran to Los Angeles when he was a child, expressed concerns about the US-Iran conflict in a recent interview. He also discussed the pivotal global moment, highlighting the hope for change within Iran amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions. The film also features Ali Farahani, Anthony Belevtsov, Ziza Rafie, and Ali Saam.