Kaya Behkalam is an American film director and producer born in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his feature films “The Skeptic” (2009), “Beneath the Harvest Sky” (2013) and “Drunktown’s Finest” (2014).
Growing up, Kaya was surrounded by the movie business. His father was a producer in Hollywood and his mother was a script supervisor. It was this early exposure to the world of film that would eventually lead Kaya to pursue his career as a director.
Kaya began his career in the early 2000’s, directing music videos and commercials. In 2009, he made his feature film debut with “The Skeptic”, a psychological thriller starring Tim Daly and Tom Arnold. The film was critically acclaimed and was an official selection at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
In 2013, Kaya released his second feature film, “Beneath the Harvest Sky”. The film starred newcomer Emory Cohen and was an official selection at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was widely praised for its honest and realistic portrayal of life in rural Maine.
Kaya’s most recent feature film was “Drunktown’s Finest”, a drama set in a small Native American reservation in New Mexico. The film was shown at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The film also won the Audience Award at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival and was an official selection at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Kaya has also directed several television shows, including episodes of “The Good Wife”, “The Blacklist”, “The Night Shift” and “Blue Bloods”.
Kaya’s work has been praised for its unique visual style and thoughtful exploration of difficult issues. His films have been lauded for their honest, heartfelt portrayals of complex characters and their struggles with family, identity and love. Kaya is currently in pre-production for his next feature film, “The Red Road”, which is scheduled to begin shooting in 2017.
