Dec 7, 2024

2025 Oscar Short Film Candidates: - And Grandma will Dance" Director Mariam Mohajer

Cartoon Brew is putting the spotlight on an animated short film nominated for an Academy Award in 2025.

This article looks at Granny Would Dance from Iranian and British filmmaker Maryam Mohajer. The short film won the Best Short Animation Award at the Rhodes International Film Festival and the Best Short Film Award at the Manchester Animation Festival to qualify for the Academy Award.

6-year-old Marmar observes how adult women throughout her life navigate their relationships with their loved ones and with each other. She listens in to her grandmother's friends laughing about their partners as they play illegal games of cards, while trying to figure out why her own grandma doesn't dance anymore. Based on the director's memories of childhood in Iran, and Granny Would Dance is a beautifully interwoven story of love, sadness and resilience across generations, infused with music, dance and empowering characters. The film is being produced by the British arts organisation Animate Projects with the support of national lottery funding from the Bfi.

Cartoon Brewing: Your intimate story is a tribute to the resilience of Iranian women. How about dancing part of this tribute to your grandparents and the whole Iranian woman-

Maryammohajer: Dancing can be a form of resilience - the way frustrated women start dancing is also very special. It's a performance, it's dramatic, there's a big start moment, there's a sense of power there. When you see an Iranian woman dancing, it looks as if she is standing on the stage. Dance is also a big part of Iranian life. I have seen people in Iran, friends, family or complete strangers use dance as a distraction, a soothing mechanism, something to help them keep going.One minute they are upset, worried, maybe scared.After that, someone turns on the music, they start dancing, and everything seems to be fine.Even for a short time.

What was it that forced me to connect with you and direct a film about this story or concept-

I have a video clip of my mother and her friends from three years ago. They are on off-road outside Tehran. They pull the car aside, turn up the music, dance and sing in this bright pop song with sad lyrics that tell how spring is coming, but for the singer, without the beloved flower, there should be no spring. The whole performance from these women is for the benefit of my mom, who is dancing and singing. At that time, my mother and I could not see each other for three years.

I'm really fascinated by the notion of women as a community, especially Iranian women. If you put it in a safe and relaxed place, it will be magical. It creates a sense of cheekiness, power and support that is quite unique. The story is also based on personal memories from my childhood. My background and culture of singing, dancing and even making jokes have been a means of survival through difficult times.

What did you learn through the experience of making this film, production wise, filmmaking wise, creatively or on the subject -

This was the first film I got funding, and I was lucky to have been awarded a grant from the bfi. It was also my first experience working with a producer. As a professional filmmaker, I've learned a lot about working with and directing larger teams. It was about how I could communicate my thoughts and feelings to different people. Technically, Granny Would Dance is my biggest project so far. Most of the films take place in the same room, around the same table, with the same 8 characters. It can easily be repetitive or boring. So I would consider and reconsider every single shot. It was also very helpful to have on board to discuss the shots with the editor – another first. I always try to challenge myself creatively in every project. I played with new different techniques and this time experimented with a much larger color palette. One is for the real world and the other is for the imaginary world in the heart of the girl who is our narrator.

As for the subject matter, the day we recorded the voice artist – all women– just confirmed that I mentioned the magic that exists within a group of women These women did not know each other before that day. We were actually a bit worried. The character was supposed to be a close friend, and I didn't know if this group of strangers could create that feeling. Nevertheless, the unity, brashness, and energy born through those hours was phenomenal. This also played a big role in the general emotion and energy of the film itself.

You can explain how you developed your visual approach to cinema- why did you settle for this style/technique?-

Part of it goes back to the background of my painting. I'm obsessed with textures and layers. I am interested in what objects, elements and images carry with them. So I start with a hand-drawn character from one of my sketchbooks. I would like to collage a pattern that reminds me of images from old Persian manuscripts, or wallpaper from my grandparents' house, etc. I use Persian words to create patterns. For example, the tablecloth on the table on which the character plays cards is made of the Persian "tablecloth", and the golden putter on a small teacup

The nature of these characters also played a role. A character who is joking, talking, moving or a little nervous needs to be presented in a way that conveys all its energy and tension. This concept was incorporated not only in the design, but also in the animation. Some parts I plan, use references and carefully animate, but some scenes I animate directly frame by frame, like the dance part. I felt like I was dancing myself. Speaking of the character, the narrator is a little girl, so I turned to making a camera angle as if looking through her eyes. It was also about how close you get to objects such as teacups, tables and even people when you were a kid.