Interview with Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani on In The Shadow of the Cypress

Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani narrate the story of a former captain suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who lives with his daughter by the seaside. Their quiet life shifts abruptly when an event suddenly changes their day-to-day lives.The short film has received many international awards so far, including four Oscar-qualifying Best Animation prizes from Tribeca, Animayo, LA Shorts, and Spark Animation. It has also been nominated for best short subject at the Annie Awards and shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards. See our Q+A with directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani below!
Q - Congratulations on being mentioned in the 97th Academy Awards Shortlists in the Best Animated Short Film category. How did you feel when you received the news, and what were your reactions?
A- Actually, at that moment, we were at Hossein’s mum’s home. Shaimaa Khan, from London Flair PR, was the first person who informed us about the news via WhatsApp. To be honest, at first, we were stunned and couldn't believe our eyes. After a while, there were sighs of relief; because we had been wondering if our film would be seen and considered by Academy members. It made us very hopeful. You know, we are just a few steps away from a nomination, and having our film acknowledged by the Academy members is a dream come true.

Q - The colors and shapes have a very evident role, helping to tell the story of a man who lost his light in the sea because of trauma and pain. How did you decide on the color palette in the film? Also, did it take long to find the visuals you were aiming for?
A- We believe that creating an authentic work of art, whether in storytelling, visual development, or any other aspect of filmmaking, requires time and careful consideration. It's crucial to avoid imitating other artists or films. There are no shortcuts. You need to give it time, much like making an herbal drink. Otherwise, it will not be mature enough.
Being totally aware of this fact, we spent a long time working on the story and visual development simultaneously. It took us around a year to accomplish our character design, visual style, and the main structure of the narrative.
Regarding the color palette, it was very important to us. Unlike many animations which utilize just a single color key for each character throughout the film, we modified the color of each character and background in every shot, considering the surrounding environment, the lighting in previous and subsequent scenes, and the time of day. This made the process of determining the color much longer, but it was worthwhile and we believe it ultimately contributed to the film's unique visual richness and atmosphere. Also, sometimes we put all the scenes next to each other to observe all the shots in a bigger picture. We wanted to check the color palette in all of the shots in terms of continuity, consistency, coherence, and flow.
Q- The story feels deeply intimate. It is very easy to connect with the characters and understand their motivations. What motivated the writing of the film?
A- Our personal lives and experiences and the concerns we both had in common about parentchild relationships, the migration of the younger generation from Iran due to economic and political issues, and the issue of war, were very inspiring for us in making this film.
We should mention that, among these concerns, the issue of migration was gradually removed from our story, and other elements were introduced. It's important to note that Shirin's father lost one of his eyes in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, and he also has a piece of shrapnel fragment from an explosion in his skull, which sometimes causes abnormal reactions in him. On the other hand, Hossein had a challenging relationship with his father throughout the years. The relationship both of us had with our fathers played a significant role in the characterization of the characters in this film and shaping the relationships between them.
Additionally, the shared bitter experiences and the many hardships that Iranians have endured over the past forty-six years since the revolution of Iran, including the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq during Saddam Hussein's time, also played an important role in shaping our story. One of our concerns was the veterans of the Iran-Iraq War, especially those suffering from PTSD, who are still struggling with the psychological effects of that war. The core of our story was based on the relationship between the elderly captain and his daughter, however our other concerns such as war, PTSD veterans, and environmental issues gradually found their way into the story as well.

Q - The film has a powerful message about finding hope again and how we can shift ourselves from dark places. It discusses trauma and addictions. However, it does not feature a single line in it. How was it to tell the story without any dialogue? Was there any particular challenge while developing the film while sticking to not having the characters converse?
Unlike our previous animated short, Run Rostam Run, which was full of dialogues and voiceovers (mostly in the form of poetry), we decided to make In the Shadow of the Cypress without any dialogue to make it more accessible and understandable to a wider global audience. As you know, using words and dialogues has its own flaws and disadvantages. It’s very likely that the viewer doesn’t get the dialogues on time. Also, even using English subtitles sometimes distracts the viewer from watching and engaging with the film. So we intended to take a more international approach with this film and go beyond the limitations.
In addition, perhaps, in some ways, a dialogue-free film allows for a more direct and profound connection to the essence of cinema and pure art.
To be frank, it was extremely difficult. Even sometimes when we watched some films using dialogues or voiceovers, we envied them on how much they had simplified the filmmaking process. We had to put a lot of time and efforts to make up for not having any dialogue in the film. Without using words, sometimes it is very exhausting to find a visual and dramatic solution to convey the idea.
Moreover, It should be noted that there is a big possibility of not getting successful in this term. In other words, there are a lot of word-less films which really seem unconvincing and artificial. However, If you manage to do it properly, you will be able to make the film convincing and believable to the audience. Actually, it was very challenging for us to make the silence between the father and the daughter seem real and convincing. But, it was worth the effort. Needless to say that the relationship and distance between the captain and his daughter made it easier to avoid dialogue in the film.
Q - The project has been in film festivals since 2023 when it debuted at the 80th Biennale di Venezia. Since the premiere, how has the experience of showing the film in different countries to a diversity of viewers been?
A- To be honest, we've only afforded to attend three international festivals so far to experience our film on the big screen with the audience. They have been fantastic experiences for us. We always witnessed very enthusiastic and long applause from the audience, sometimes lasting more than half the duration of the end credits. After screenings, audience members often approach us to discuss the film with excitement. After one of the screenings at the Venice Film Festival, a man approached us and asked where we were from; when we replied, “Iran,” his eyes sparkled, and he said: “great cinema!”
Other than the film festivals that we have attended in person, we also receive numerous compliments on social media from those who have seen the film in other festivals. These compliments provide us with significant strength and hope to continue our work.

Q - I would like to know the next steps. Are you already working on the following project?
Although we haven't made a final decision yet, one of our aspirations is to create at least one feature-length animated movie before we die. We would like to write and direct it together again. Actually, it's quite an ambitious project and requires a lot of support. We both have reached an agreement regarding the subject and the theme of our next film and we are really eager for it. However, we might produce a short documentary animation first, as making a feature film requires a significant budget.
To be honest, one of our concerns regarding In the Shadow of the Cypress is to help the film be seen on the Oscar path. The success of our film at the Oscars, whether it's a win or a nomination, could significantly help us secure producers and financiers for our next project. Meanwhile, alongside thinking and working on our next film, we are also continuing the distribution process for In the Shadow of the Cypress.
Thank you so much for talking to me. Congratulations on the shortlist mention, and good luck on nominations day.
That’s our pleasure. Also, thank you very much indeed for having us.
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