TEHRAN -- “All the Winters I Haven’t Seen”, an animation on the aftermath of the 1988 chemical weapon attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja, won awards in several categories, including best director and best animation at the 16th Iran Cinema Celebration on Sunday.
Winners for the animation section of the celebration were announced during a ceremony held at the Iranian House of Cinema (IHC) in Tehran.
The best animation award was presented to the group of animators of “All the Winters I Haven’t Seen” and best director award went to Omid Khoshnazar for the same animation.
The 17-minute animation set in New York City tells the story of a pregnant woman who discovers that there is a high likelihood her child will be born with severe physical defects due to her exposure to chemical weapons.
She is forced to choose between giving birth to a child who will likely be severely handicapped or aborting the baby and giving up any hope of ever having a child.
The award for best graphic design was also given to Arash Karimi for his collaboration in the animation, which also brought Arash Qasemi the plaque of honor for sound effects. In addition, Payam Azadi received the plaque of honor for music.
The prize for best screenplay was awarded to “The Chick”, written and produced by Mahbubeh Zaki. She also received the award for best producer.
Zaki received her awards from Mohammad-Ali Safura, a member of the selecting panel for the animation section.
“The animated films produced in Iran are of poor quality,” Safura said and expressed his hope that the condition would be changed.
The IHC holds the Iran Cinema Celebration every year in several categories.
The celebration reaches its climax with announcing winners in the feature film section on September 12, which is Iran’s National Cinema Day.
The IHC has economized on expenses in organizing the celebration in order to increase its commitments to members’ welfare and to establish an unemployment insurance fund for them.
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