The Iranian directors of the “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” the Oscar-winner for Best Animated Short Film, were granted a last minute visa and only arrived in Los Angeles three hours before the start of the ceremony, the directors said on the Oscars stage.
Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, the directors of “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” were at risk of attending the awards ceremony, as Variety reported in February. They had been unable to do other awards campaigning because they had struggled to obtain a visa and because the Iranian government had rescinded financial support for the film that prevented more international travel.
But as they revealed on stage, Molayemi and Sohani hadn’t obtained their visa until just yesterday.
“It’s a miracle, and speaking in front of this expectant audience is very hard for us,” Molayemi said in his acceptance speech. “Yes, if we preserve and remain faithful, miracles will happen.”
Molayemi and Sohani in their speech addressed the “extraordinary circumstances” it took to make the film, and their surprise at being here in this moment.
Molayemi and Soheni previously told Variety that the film took over six years to make and was entirely self-financed through development and production. The filmmakers said they had been under sanctions for years, but things had gotten worse and “more complicated since President Trump’s time in office.” They added that Iran, after initially agreeing to fund travel expenses to festivals for the directors, that money dried up following an interview they did in which they discussed the financial challenges of getting the movie made.
“We didn’t say anything political, but we talked about the financial challenges we faced because of sanctions and the devaluation of our currency and about how the unreliable internet here complicated things and how many useful online platforms are blocked here in Iran,” Sohani said.
“In the Shadow of the Cypress” is a 2D animated short about a captain living a remote life by the sea with his daughter while struggling with PTSD. The film played at Venice, Tribeca, and LA Shorts, among other festivals. It was also nominated for the Annie Awards and at Annecy.
