Just a while back, Spark Animations was in town. While I only attended a brunch event and made two connections, I still got some free food and a nice experience out of it. I only wish I was able to catch this movie while at the festival, but there was only so much I could do with October being my most busy month this year. Anyways, while Spark Animations had its little festival, a short film from Iran premiered, called In The Shadow of The Cypress. It’s a short film about an elderly captain who struggles with PTSD and lives with his daughter. He tends to get angry and upset over matters even hurting his poor daughter sometimes. As his daughter steps out one day, she notices a beached whale and tries to help get it back in the water. Her father tries to assist by pulling it by rope in a speedboat while the daughter pushes. When progress isn’t made, the father goes back to his old ship and tries to ease his personal pain while his daughter does what she can to take care of the whale. Will the whale ever be saved and will the father overcome his troubles?
Plenty more questions about this animation, and what went into it which is what I’ll get into shortly. I spoke with the writer/director duo Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani about this via a Google Meet Call to their studio way out in Iran. Hossein began working on film in 2004 where he started with a film that that got selected at a lot of Oscar qualifying film festivals, and Shirin Sohani started hers in 2012 where she mainly has worked in writing and art, but this year, In the Shadow of the Cypress was her first film ever directed. A great story with some well made music by Afshin Azizi, it’s no wonder it’s now being considered for the upcoming Oscar awards. Let’s set sail for an amazing interview.
HNMAG: Congratulations on your award winning at Spark Animations. What other Oscar Qualifying awards have you won?
Shirin Sohani: Actually, at Spark Animations it was our 4th qualifying Oscar award. Before that it won an award from Tribeca, LA Shorts, and also Animayo Animation Festival. The Canary Islands from Spain.
HNMAG: What will you do if you win an Oscar?
Hossein Malayemi: You know, both of us have a dream. And the dream is to make our first length feature animated movie. Winning an Oscar will pave the way, towards fulfilling that dream. Maybe the first thing to do is to start to build and accelerate our next project which is a feature length animated movie.
HNMAG: Where else has In the Shadow of the Cypress played in Canada?
Shirin Sohani: The film premiered at Calgary International Film Festival, and after that at Edmonton Film Festival. Most of them are Oscar qualifying in Canada. Also festivals in Toronto, and Quebec City. That’s it. At the end, we were at Spark Animation in Vancouver.
HNMAG: Have you gotten positive feedback from Canada?
Shirin Sohani: Yeah. For example, the director of a festival in Quebec City asked us if he could program the film for another film festival in Quebec. Because he’s actually director of programming in several film festivals. That showed the reception of film was very good in Quebec.
Hossein Malayemi: We have received many good feedbacks and compliments from all around the world, especially Canada.
HNMAG: How long did the film take to get made?
Hossein Malayemi: To be honest, it took more than 6 years of hard work. Maybe it’s a little strange, but other than concentrating on this film, we had to deal with a lot of problems. Economic problems, political problems, working under the sanctions and political pressures and dictatorship, devaluation of our currency. I had to deal with Alopecia because I was diagnosed with it and a lot of problems.
They had to deal with a lot as you can imagine. Hossein says it could’ve been 4 years without all the problems. Shirin had some personal issues herself. I gotta say, I am impressed at their resilience and how they managed to get it done.
HNMAG: And what was the main inspiration behind In the Shadow of the Cypress?
Shirin Sohani: We got inspiration from our personal life. My father is a veteran of Iran/Iraq war. He lost his eyesight during the war. He’s not a PTSD veteran though, and Hossein always has challenges with his father. He’s not in a good relationship with his father and these two experiences I think are our story. Also the life story of PTSD veterans in Iran. We did interview them directly but we search a lot and put a lot of time into learning about their life, their family, because we think they are forgotten people in Iran.
HNMAG: Have you made any other films that made it to Canada?
Hossein Malayemi: Unfortunately, no. It has been our first time that our film has made it to Canadian film festivals.
HNMAG: But you’re hoping for more. Especially the feature film will make it to Canadian film festivals?
Hossein Malayemi: Thank you, I also hope so.
Shirin Sohani: (laughs)
HNMAG: Canada is a fair distance away, but do you hope to visit us someday?
Hossein Malayemi: Sure. Actually, we are very enthusiastic to visit your beautiful country. As you know, there are a lot of fellow Iranians in Canada and even some of our relatives are living there. On the other hand, Canada is the main core for industrial animation and that’s why we are so enthusiastic to go to Canada and meet prominent individuals in the industry.
HNMAG: What about co-producing films with Canadian production companies? Will that ever be a possibility?
Hossein Malayemi: From our point of view, it’s our pleasure but it all depends on the desires of prospective producers and financiers. We are thinking about the possibility of that to cooperate with Canadian producers. But it depends on what happens in the future and what will happen to our film.
HNMAG: And it would be nice if you could be at the Oscars if it won.
Hossein Malayemi: We hope so and it will empower us and enable us to fill our dream.
HNMAG: And how has the feature been coming along?
Shirin Sohani: We are now working on two different projects. One is the animated feature, the other is a documentary short I’m making. I’m also at the same time, to make another film and pitch it in the near future. But it depends, maybe on the result of the Oscar.
Shirin has confirmed that their priority is the feature. We’ll get more details about the other projects in the future. On the other hand, Hossein explained they are trying to balance the projects simultaneously, but the big dilemma is choosing which to make and when. Right now they’re at initial steps for their upcoming projects, but we have to wait and see. It’s not just them who will decide, as choice will also depend on the producers and if the financial support comes in. I can’t wait to see their film mentioned in the Oscars along with Colin’s, and I hope they get more recognition as well. Oscar or no Oscar.