Adaptation Film Programme: Persepolis (2007)

Figure 1: Movie Poster  [Still Image]

Persepolis (2007) is a co-written and co-directed piece of work by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi. Paronmaud is a French comics artist and filmmaker whereas Satrapi is a graphic novelist, illustrator and film director. It is successful piece of work as it has been internationally recognised and has also received various awards. In the 33rd César Awards, this animation clinched a couple of awards which includes Best First Work (Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi) and Best Writing – Adaptation (Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi). Other awards include Best Foreign Language Film won at São Paulo International Film Festival and Rogers People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film at Vancouver International Film Festival.

Persepolis (2007) is a French-Iranian-American animated film based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. It is about the life of Satrapi as she experiences the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Because of her outspoken personality and always questioning the authorities, Satrapi's parents sends her away to Vienna as they feared of her safety. It is a struggle of a young girl trying to find her place in this world as western culture changed her and not fitting right back in, in her own homeland. 

It was an eye opening animation as it showed how a young girl viewed the revolution and how her childhood is filled with sadness, destruction and witnessing death of thousands of innocent people. In my opinion, this film has managed to be the voice to those Iranians who had to witness the revolution and was not able to tell the world about it. What the media has portrayed about this revolution and the actual truth varies broadly hence, this film gave another perspective to the situation. In terms of the art the direction, the use of black and white and the simple line drawings has worked very effectively in terms of conveying the essence of the film which is what it is like to be going through the revolution and struggle of finding one's identity.

List of Illustration: 

Persepolis (2007) [Poster] at http://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/7279175.3.jpg (Accessed on 1 March 2015)