PERSEPOLIS – Retroview by Susan Granger

What’s unusual about this hand-drawn animated feature from France is that it tells an adult story from a child’s point-of-view. With the aid of French graphic artist Vincent Paronnaud, Iranian/French auteur Marjane Satrapi boldly details her very personal autobiography. Filmed primarily in stark black-and-white, except for brief scenes in color, it’s a monochromatic, simplistic narrative which delves into contemporary political history, including war, torture and execution. Persepolis is a stylized, sensitive 7, an often comic, yet heart-breaking, outspoken portrait of a young girl and a nation in turmoil.

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CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS (Sundance FF 2025) – Review by Leslie Combemale

“I don’t want to just promise things, I want to take action.” This statement is indicative of Sara Shahverdi’s passion. She is the central subject of Cutting Through Rocks, the feature documentary from co-directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. Shahverdi, a plain speaking, divorced, motorcycling former midwife, is the first elected councilwoman representing her Iranian village, and she is not in any way the norm. The directors filmed her over seven years, compiling a mountain of footage, and have somehow rather miraculously distilled her experience in those years into 95 minutes.

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