Italian Human Rights festival hails Iran’s ‘The Sprayer’

Iranian animation ‘The Sprayer’ has succeeded to receive the Best Short Animation Award at the 2022 Human Rights Film Festival in Italy.

Written and directed by Farnoush Abedi, ‘The Sprayer’ competed with 23 other animations at the 4th edition of the Italian film festival.

Iran-based Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) is the producer of ‘The Sprayer’ with a theme of man’s hostile attitude towards the Earth.

The story of the movie is set in an unknown land, where a group of soldiers is on a mission to destroy all types of growing plants.

One of the soldiers realizes that the plants are not only safe but also useful. Therefore, despite his mission, he tries to preserve one of the plants.

“Due to recent changes in the environment, the hostility of human beings with the Earth, global warming, the gradual erosion of the Earth, and a desperate struggle to save the future, it seems the greatest threat in the course of history is happening for man,” Abedi said in his interview with local media.

“The animation is a symbolic look at this great threat, which can turn into a global issue,” he added.

The 9-minute animation is made with 3D technique for children aged 7 and up.

Previously, Abedi’s animation went on screen at the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film and Screenplay Festival in Canada, the Prague International Film Awards in the Czech Republic, the Wasteland Film Festival in the U.S., the Viborg Animation Festival in Denmark, the Torino Underground Cinefest in Italy and the Pigeon International Film Festival in Iceland.

‘The Sprayer’ is also the recipient of the best short film award at the 4th IndieX Film Fest in the US.

The Diritti a Baschi, Human Rights Film Festival aims “to promote and disseminate auteur cinema with particular regard to human rights issues and to encourage dialogue between directors,” writes the online submission platform of the festival.  

The event was held in the Italian city of Baschi (Terni) on August 5-7, 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more:

Watch teaser for ‘The Sprayer’ on man’s hostility to Earth

MM/AG