TEHRAN-Two short animations from Iran have received accolades from the second edition of the Animators Guild India Fest (AGIF) that concluded last week.

“The Lovely Sky” written and directed by Amir Mehran and “Anita, Lost in the News” by Behzad Nalbandi were honored in the category of Best Animated Short Film (under 45 minutes), Mehr reported on Sunday.

While “Anita, Lost in the News” was one of the finalists of the category, “The Lovely Sky” received a Special Mention from the jury.

A production of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA), “The Lovely Sky” is a 14-minute 2D animation, dealing with the issue of war.

The short flick follows an impatient fighter pilot who bombs cities every day. He returns to his little girl every night after completing his mission. The girl loves to fly, but the father doesn’t fulfill his daughter’s dream because of the bitter memory of his wife’s death. The war is getting closer every day. One day an incident changes their lives, forever.

Produced in 2022, it has so far won the best animation prize at the 52nd Roshd International Educational Film Festival in Tehran, Best Music at the 18th Vancouver Island Short Film Festival in Canada, and Best Animation at Itauna International Film Festival in Brazil.

It has also been screened in the 63rd Zlin Film Festival in the Czech city of Zlin, the 19th World Festival of Animated Film Varna in Bulgaria, the 16th Bueu International Short Film Festival in Spain, the 39th International Festival of Animation Cinema, comics, and games in Italy, and the 35th Girona Film Festival in Spain.

Amir Mehran, 42, has an M.A. in animation directing from Soore Art University in Tehran. He has made several short animations so far and won awards at various international film festivals, including Warsaw, ANIMA, Grand OFF, Interfilm Berlin, Banja Luka, Cinefiesta, Imperia, Short Soup, Silk Road, and Noor among others.

“Anita, Lost in the News” is a 15-minute animation made in 2023.  Created using puppets made from newspaper clippings, it is about a Kurdish-Iranian family of four who died in the sinking of a migrant boat in the English Channel in 2020. 

At the time of the tragedy, there were ten more people on board than the vessel could hold. One of the victims was nine-year-old Anita, from whose perspective we follow the story. 

AGIF was created with the express desire to showcase a variety of genre-defining animation content being produced throughout the world. From drama to action to horror to documentary, all genres in animation are showcased at the festival and originality is prized above all.

SS/SAB