Deserved winner of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the lively, hand-drawn animation PERSEPOLIS was adapted from the autobiographical series of graphic novels by author Satrapi and co-director Paronnaud. Marjane grows up in a liberal family in Tehran. As they watch the totalitarianism of the Shah give way to that of the Ayatollahs, her parents decide to send teenage Marjane to a French school in Vienna. There, isolated and tormented, she tests her liberty by dabbling in punk – and more. But ultimately she faces a choice: be free and lose her home or return home and lose her freedoms.
Original language cast (voices): Marjane as a teenager and adult – Chiara Mastrtoianni; Tadji – Catherine Deneuve; Marjane’s Grandmother – Danielle Darrieux; Ebi – Simon Abkarian; Marjane (child) – Gabrielle Lopes; Uncle Anouche – Francois Jerosme
Review
“Slyly operates on several levels at once, from the sociopolitical to the soulfully emotional.” LA Weekly
Awards
BAFTAs ’09 nominations
– Best Film (Not in the English language)
– Best Animated Film