TEHRAN – Ehsan Taheri has produced an animation based on “The Survivor”, Iranian director Seifollah Daad’s acclaimed drama on a Palestinian woman.

“The story is made based on the film ‘The Survivor’ which was made many years ago by Daad and I believe it is a tribute to the late filmmaker,” Taheri told the Persian service of MNA on Monday.

Taheri said that the Saba Art and Cultural Institute commissioned him to make the animated movie.

“The Survivor” is based on Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani’s novel “Returning to Haifa”. It tells the story of a Palestinian couple who goes back to Haifa after the 1967 war to look for their baby, whom they were forced to leave behind in the war of 1948.

Taheri said that he wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Mehdi Abuhashem and Amir-Mohammad Dehestani.

The animated version aims to make the audience feel nostalgic for Daad’s film, he added.

The 85-minute animation is an entry to the 34th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival, which will be held in Tehran from February 1 to 11.

Daad was the former deputy culture minister for cinematic affairs in the mid-1990s. He had also headed the Iranian House of Cinema for two years. In 1996, he established the Iran Cinema Celebration.

Daad made great efforts to remove obstacles to screening movies in Iran and turned into a popular figure during his tenure in management.

Photo: A scene from the animated version of “The Survivor”

RM/YAW
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