Images of Iran: Animating La Sirène
Images of Iran: Animating La Sirène
- Date
- Feb 19th 2023
- With
- Sepideh Farsi, Javad Djavahery, Zaven Najjar, Richard Lutterbeck moderated by Andrew Amondson
Opening this year’s Panorama is a gorgeous, soul-stirring animated gem, Sepideh Farsi’s “La Sirène,” a chronicle of the siege of the Iranian city of Abadan during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980 seen through the eyes of a boy who sought to restart an old ship and rescue his family from the horrors. A topical, universal tale of resilience, “La Sirène” is a technical and artistic marvel, and we couldn’t be happier to have director Sepideh Farsi, screenwriter Javad Djavahery, animation and production designer Zaven Najjar as well as co-producer Richard Lutterbeck weigh in on their creative process. Lovers of animation will find plenty to enjoy in this in-depth chat about the challenges (and rewards) of working in the genre, but the conversation will also make room for larger questions around the nexus between politics and cinema, and how to (re)construct a real-life tragedy drawing from facts and fantasy alike.
Sepideh Farsi
Born in Tehran, Iran, she moved to Paris to study mathematics but soon turned her focus to filmmaking. After making several short films, in 2001 she directed the documentary "Homi D. Sethna, Filmmaker" which won several awards. Her documentaries "Harat" and "Tehran Without Permission" both premiered at Locarno, her first two feature films "Dreams of Dust" and "The Gaze" at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. "The House Under the Water" won the NETPAC Award; her most recent documentary "7 voiles" received the Grand Prix of the French Competition at the International Film Festival Marseille.
© Renaud Monfourny
Javad Djavahery
Zaven Najjar
French director and artistic director, Zaven started by shining on the web with the illustrations Rapposters in 2013, collaborated in clothing collections with the brand Quatre Cent Quinze, seen for example at Colette, Miami and Art Basel. ln 2015, he released the short, “Un Obus Partout”, several times awarded in festivals (Caimans Productions & Arte). He is the graphic author and art director of the animated feature “La Sirène”, directed by Sepideh Farsi (prod. Les Films d'ici, Sébastien Onomo). He studied animation at ENSAD in Paris and SAlC in Chicago. He is the illustrator of the football magazine After Foot and worked for many institutions and brands as director and illustrator.
© Anthony Assaf
Richard Lutterbeck
Together with Matthias Bruhn, Richard Lutterbeck established the company TrickStudio Lutterbeck GmbH in 1998 in Cologne. The main focus of the company is the production of animated films for children. TrickStudio has created many award- winning short films as well as more than 100 films for German TV stations. The company coproduced five half-hour TV-Specials, the TV series “Molly Monsters” and the int. co-production “Molly Monsters – The Movie”, which was first screened at Berlinale in 2016. “Fritzi – A miraculous revolutionary Tale” won the German Film Award and numerous other prizes.
© Tanja Walck
Andrew Amondson
Andrew Amondson is an artist and filmmaker whose work includes Emmy award-winning nonfiction series and documentary films for Netflix Originals and Criterion Collection. As an artist, Andrew creates large-scale living installations, exploring nature connectedness and collective creativity. He was the recipient of the Inspiring Future Generations Award in London, 2022. His current project, Walks in the Garden, is based on a creative ideation practice he uses while walking with Berlinale Talents, Netflix Germany and Studio Olafur Eliasson.
© Guido Castagnoli