Persian Realm

Phew ! We can finally breathe. The French Animation Persepolis is definitively in the Race for the upcoming Oscars®. If it has not been selected for best foreign film amongst the 63 submitted films in this category it has nevertheless made it to the final nomination list in best Animation. What a suspense ever since its incredible Box Office and critical success in Europe and struggling its way through the tides and troubled waters of this year’s particularly tough competition. Having earned the Prix du Jury aka Jury Prize in Cannes for its 60th Annual, Persepolis may well win the ultimate recognition at the 80th Oscar® ceremony that will be held on Sunday February 24th 2008 at the Legendary Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by ABC beginning at 5 p.m. PT, beginning with a half-hour arrivals segment. OK Let’s Not provoke fate for the Oscar’s are always incredibly unpredictable in its final choice and all will now depend on the Academy members to make to definitive choice … Let’s hope however that Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parronaud’s animated bio epic based on the real life story of its Iranian born ( but French Citizen) author will be honored by the Academy a FIRST for an Iranian artist to date. It would indeed be a recognition towards an entire community and country ( But definitively not its Regime) who has alas been on one hand wrongly labled as part of an Axis of Evil by political neo cons in the White House and for a film judged as Islamophobic on the other hand by an unpopular Islamic Fundamentalist regime in Iran out of touch with the realities of its time as well as with its own youth.

Persepolis has been chosen to run against two other nominees in Best animated feature film category : Walt Disney’s Ratatouille and another Sony Pictures production Surf’s Up.