Political and Financial Obstacles Hinder Artistic Couple Behind the Oscar-Nominated Animation 'In the Shadow of the Cypress'

Variety magazine reported that Hossein Malayemi and Shirin Soohani, the artistic couple behind the Oscar-nominated short animation 'In the Shadow of the Cypress', are facing serious obstacles that may prevent their attendance at this year's Oscar ceremony. This 2D animation examines the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its profound impact on the life of a former captain and his daughter. It has been praised at prestigious international festivals including Venice, Animayo, Tribeca, and the Los Angeles Short Film Festival. After winning awards at Animayo, the Los Angeles Short Film Festival, the Spark Animation Festival, and Tribeca, the film qualified for Oscar competition. However, the path for these filmmakers to the Oscars has not been smooth. According to the report, securing funding for the film has been one of the main challenges for Malayemi and Soohani. The production and development process of 'In the Shadow of the Cypress', which took six and a half years, was entirely funded by the two filmmakers themselves. Hossein Malayemi stated, 'There is no support from officials, while it is their duty to pave the way for filmmakers. But as soon as you succeed, they want to use your work as a promotional tool.' During the film's screening at international festivals, Malayemi and Soohani were only able to attend three festivals outside Iran: Venice, Annecy, and Sharjah, where the travel expenses for the Sharjah festival were covered by the organizers. Otherwise, the two directors would have had to mostly cover their travel costs personally. The report adds, 'They tried not to make statements that would be sensitive while attending international gatherings. Initially, the Iranian government cautiously supported the film's Oscar campaign and even promised to cover the directors' travel expenses. But after an interview, everything changed.' Shirin Soohani explains, 'In an interview we had with Euronews Persian, we did not make any political statements, but we talked about the financial problems caused by sanctions and the devaluation of the national currency. We also mentioned how unreliable internet and extensive filtering have made many useful platforms inaccessible to us in Iran.'