Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/832212
27 Q2 2017 / CINEMONTAGE by A.J. Catoline portraits by Wm. Stetz W hen the winning editor was announced for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series at the 2016 Emmy Awards ceremony, picture editor Kabir Akhtar, ACE, was stunned to hear his name. "When you get up on that stage, you forget any speech you may have wanted to give. You are out of your head," says Akhtar. Having won for cutting the pilot episode of The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Akhtar was surely conscious — even as he remembers "dancing to the show's theme song the whole way down the aisle to the stage" — that he had also made Emmy history. "I am the first person of color to win an Emmy in this category," the Indian-American picture editor acknowledges. "It has been a category for 14 years, and to be the first one is very exciting. It's incredible to be honored by your peers, out of all the thousands of television episodes made. It blows my mind every day." Through life and career, Akhtar tells CineMontage, he has certainly encountered some questions about his ethnicity. "It's always subtle, super soft," he says, "but it's there." Akhtar recalls people asking over the years if his parents approved of him dating someone white. "They wanted to know if there were any cultural issues," an incredulous Akhtar reveals. "And I would say, 'I'm from Philadelphia. I'm an Eagles fan!' Why are they asking that?" Diversity has become an issue front and center in today's political zeitgeist of Hollywood. Two years ago and last year, there was the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. This year, Oscar fared much better with nominations — and some wins — for people of color, but still infamously fumbled the announcement of the winning African-American filmmakers for the Best Picture Moonlight. The Editors Guild has formed a Diversity Committee to study the issue of diversity in the post- production industry. A survey was recently sent to members to inquire what experiences they may have to share in which race, gender or sexual orientation may have been a factor on the job. On that note, Akhtar remembers an incident when he was editing a TV show for comedian and producer Tracey Ullman. She planned to shoot a new series on location in Mumbai, India. It was logical for Akhtar, who has a hyphenated career as a director- editor, to ask if he could be hired to helm episodes in the country of his heritage. Ullman agreed, and this would be a proud moment for Akhtar to be a director in the land of Bollywood. He would follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Javed Akhtar, who is an Indian screenwriter and cultural poet, and his cousin Farhan, who is a feature director and star there. "In India, it [being Farhan's relative] is like being Barack Obama's brother — it helps keep me humble," Akhtar offers. After the Emmy ceremony, The Times of India recognized the family dynasty with a headline: "It's a Win for the Other Akhtar!" When Akhtar returned to London to post the show, he encountered a local director there. "She was a young lady who fancied herself way more worldly than she actually was," he recalls, "and she asked me what my favorite part of the shoot in Mumbai had been. I said, 'Well I loved the whole thing, but I especially enjoyed working with my cast.' She replied, 'Of course, and which caste are you?'" Cutting Comedy and Discussing Diversity Kabir Akhtar Akhtar's selfie with Rachel Bloom and her Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.