Iran’s ‘The Last Fiction’ joins Oscars’ Animated Feature competition
Compiled from Dispatches
Iranian animation ‘The Last Fiction’, written and directed by Ashkan Rahgozar, joined the list of 32 contenders for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.
‘The Last Fiction’ is based on a chapter of the ‘Shahnameh’ (Book of Kings), Iran’s millennium-old national epic, written by acclaimed Persian poet Ferdowsi.
The film follows Zahhak’s treacherous rise to the throne in Jamkard in Persia and the young hero Afaridoun’s fight to save the kingdom and its people from darkness.
But he must first conquer his own demons in this portrayal of Persian mythology which reveals human nature.
While Oscars submissions reached a record high this year, only five slots are guaranteed for the Best Animated Feature Oscar category, which include Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ and Dreamworks Animation’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’, as well as Netflix’s ‘I Lost My Body’.
According to Indiewire, the members of the Short Films and Feature Animation section are automatically eligible to nominate the films for the five available slots, with other Academy members invited to opt in by watching a minimum number of films.
The main idea of the recounting of this tale is to lend a different perspective to the legends and heroes of ancient Iranians.
‘The Last Fiction’ is set to be screened in 32 countries, including the US, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Greece and Norway.
It is voiced over by prominent Iranian actors, including Parviz Parastouei, Akbar Zanjanpour, Bita Farrahi, Hassan Pourshirazi, Ashkan Khatibi, Hamed Behdad, Shaqayeq Farahani, Melika Sharifinia, Farrokh Ne’mati, Baran Kosari and Majid Mozaffari.
The movie’s production process lasted eight years, during which it was introduced as one of the top six animation projects in the world by Annecy Festival (in which the animation premiered) in 2013 was and one of the top four animations under production at the Cannes Film Market in 2016.
The animation won several awards at international festivals including the best feature animation award at the 3rd international South American films festival in Chile, the best film award at the 3rd Ajayu International Animation Festival in Peru, the best score award at the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, as well as Best Animated Future Film at the 16th edition of San Diego International Kids’ Film Festival in the US.