Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's Persepolis is the French entry for the upcoming Academy Award for best foreign-language film.
Based on Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novels, the black-and-white animated film follows a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of the late 1970s.
Chiara Mastroianni (as Marjane), her mother Catherine Deneuve, veteran Danielle Darrieux, and Simon Abkarian are some of the performers who provide the voices in the French version of the film. An English version features the voices of Mastroianni, Deneuve, Sean Penn, Iggy Pop, and Gena Rowlands, among others.
Not surprisingly, the film has angered some in the Iranian government. In fact, it was reportedly pulled from the Bangkok Film Festival due to pressure from Teheran.
Earlier this year, Persepolis shared the jury prize (akin to third-best in competition) at the Cannes Film Festival. The film has also been screened at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, and it is scheduled to close the New York Film Festival on Oct. 14.
The three-person jury that picked Persepolis was formed by Thierry Fremaux, general manager of the Cannes Film Festival; Margaret Ménégoz, film producer and president of Unifrance, France's film-promotion office; and Alain Terzian, president of the French Academy of Film Arts and Sciences.
Sony Pictures Classics will release Persepolis in the U.S. on Dec. 25.
Toronto Film Festival 2007 – Gala Screenings, Masters, Special Presentations
60th Cannes Film Festival – Official Competition Line-Up
Cannes Film Festival – 2007 Awards
I'm still not over the fact that Persepolis didn't get a foreign-language film Oscar nomination. The Academy is ridiculous!