Iranian women have been making significant contributions to the world of Visual Art. This program, curated by Narjes Mohammadi and Nahid Malayeri, showcases a collection of animations by Iranian female artists, exploring the unique and diverse range of stories and perspectives they bring to the screen including the challenges they face and the strides they have made. The curators’ vision is to showcase the immense talents, power, and intelligence of Iranian women in the animation industry.

"Unveiling Hidden Stories aims to provide a platform for Iranian female directors to share their work with the world and promote their talents on an international level. By doing so, we hope to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about Iranian women, and showcase the resilience and perseverance they possess. Our goal is to empower and inspire other women who may face similar obstacles, and to contribute to the ongoing conversation about cultural representation and gender equity in the animation and illustration industry".

Dash Akol
Hajar Mehrani | 2016 | 14’

This story is about the Dash Akol (Dash Akol is a symbol of masculine hero in popular culture for the Iranian people.), falling in love with Marjan and his scuffles with his old enemy, Kak-Rostam.

Lady with flower-hair
Sara Tabibzadeh | 2012 | 11’

The Lady with Flower-Hair is a woman of forty, on whose hair have grown a set of carnations. She was different even from childhood. She now lives alone. She is pre-occupied with the flowers on her hair but the co-existence of two beings with absolutely nothing in common is bound to cause discomfort for one of them.

Red Fire
Mona Shahi | 2020 | 11’

The Darkness Demon has swept over the world, trying to set the ending of Light, unlike the earlier promises and prophecies. In such an era, a flock of Red birds travels in search of the Red Fire; a Fire that, according to the prophecies, wipes out the blackness and puts an end to the constant eclipse and absence of the Sun. But where are they going to find the Red Fire?

The Fourth Wall
Mahboobeh Kalaee | 2021 | 10’

Home and family, relationships, desires, wishes, and everything are summarized in a kitchen. The stuttering boy is alone there, playing with his imagination.

Haboob
Mahsa Samani | 2020 | 9’

A man and his daughter are used to living in harmony and peace with nature, but some disruptions change their lovely little life.

Tangle
Maliheh Gholamzadeh | 2019 | 8’

Tangle is about the people who lost their homes in the war and were forced to leave all their memories and loved ones behind. It is also about life and striving to survive on the geographical borders of hope and depression while reaching for all the things that can connect us to this water and land in spite of constantly getting ignored and interrupted.

Grandad Was A Romantic
Maryam Mohajer | 2019 | 5’

A child documents her Grandad’s love life – a man with a reputation for being a passionate romantic. She tells the story of how her Grandad came across a picture of her Granny for the first time, and decided in that moment that she must be the love of his life. He marries her, and they start a family together, but Grandad’s boundless romance never dies. It will take him in unforeseen directions.

Ascribed Achievements
Samaneh Shojaei | 2017 | 5’

The old boy, who is dissatisfied with their appearance and hereditary, decides to end his life. But his failed suicide creates a new situation in his life.

Icky
By Parastoo Cardgar | 2017 | 6'

In the world of people with Rubik’s cube head, there is a kid who is different from the others.

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Curators of this program:

Narjes Mohammadi is a visual artist and author working in animation, bookmaking and illustration. Storytelling and attending to details are underlying themes throughout Narjes’s artistical practice. Her specific interests are nature and children. Narjes’ engagements and practice are truly international in scope. Her critically acclaimed picture books have been translated into several languages and sold over thousands of copies worldwide. Her book What a brilliant idea! was for example selected and awarded at several illustration festivals, and selected as one of the best books by the Victoria Government in Australia in 2021. Her animation, Hi! was awarded with a special mention in the Dutch category at the Kaboom animation festival.

Her original artworks are also exhibited in galleries such as as Erranet in Spain, illustrade festival in Germany, and ESIGN KOREA Korean Power in Seoul. Narjes has been the recipient of numerous awards, including White Raven, Bologna Rigazzi Award, Creative Quarterly and Belgrade. Additionally, she is the editor-in-chief of Brightness illustration magazine. Narjes grew up in Iran; she currently lives and works in the Netherlands.

Nahid Malayeri is an award-winning animation director, 3D artist, and 2D animator based in the Netherlands. She gets inspired by daily life moments and uses them in animation to enrich her stories. She wants to evoke various emotions and feelings when it comes to demonstrating everyday life moments and putting her audience through unusual experiences and journeys. Nahid films have been shown in Moscow International Film Festival, American Documentary and Animation Film and Oscar-Qualifying Festival, Tehran International Animation Festival, among others.