Tehran animation festival picks ‘The Unseen’

The Tehran International Animation Festival has picked Behzad Nalbandi’s ‘The Unseen’ as the best animated feature.

The animated documentary attempts to give a voice to the homeless women in Iran who are locked away, banished to the outskirts of the city and made invisible.

Nalbandi secretly conducted interviews in the camps and creates a world of his own to make those affected visible again.

The story of the cardboard animation begins when foreign dignitaries are expected in Tehran.

Therefore, the local authorities dedicate themselves to an “urban beautification” process that includes the rounding up of unpleasant characters from the streets.

The men are released after a few days, but the women are kept and sent to holding centers on the outskirts of the city.

The golden award for best short film went to Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa’s ‘Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days’. It is about Pessoa who pays tribute to her uncle Thomas, a humble man who had a significant influence on her life and career.

The silver award for best short was presented to ‘Daughter’ by Tajik animator Daria Kashcheeva. It is about the bond between a father and his daughter, which is imperiled by matters that go unspoken and hurt that is slow to heal.

‘Souvenir Souvenir’ directed by French animator Bastien Dubois won the bronze award for best short animation. It relates Bastien’s multiple and unsuccessful attempts to initiate a dialogue with his grandfather using an excellent combination of art styles to lay out a story of war trauma, family conflict, creative process and ultimately filial love.

The golden award for best children’s film went to South Korean ‘Boriya’ by Min Sung-Ah. It shows little Boriya who is bored. She would love to play with someone, but everyone is busy. Alone, under the river’s bridge, she will realize that life isn’t always how she imagined.

The award for best student animation was given to Swiss filmmaker Pascal Schelbli’s ‘The Beauty’. It is a poetic journey through the oceans, which are simultaneously stunning and filthy. It uncovers a world where concerns and fears dissolve into the mysterious depth of the polluted blue sea.

The golden award for a TV film was given to ‘Culottées’, a miniseries co-directed by Charlotte Cambon and Phuong Mai Nguyen. It is the portraits of 30 women, each revolutionary in their own way.

‘The Day of the Persian Cheetah’ by Aqil Hosseinian-Nasab from Iran won the golden award for best advertising film.

The special jury award went to ‘Serial Parallels’ by Max Hattler from Germany. It is an experimental portrait of one of the most vertical cities in the world, Hong Kong.

The closing ceremony of the 12th edition of the Tehran animation festival, held last week, was organized by the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA - Kanoon).

MG/AG