TEHRAN – An expert has said that many Iranian animation studios prefer to work for their foreign counterparts as the local money has seen its value decrease in comparison to other currencies.

“Due to a sharp decline in the value of the local currency in comparison to the dollar, Iranian animation studios are willing to work for other countries,” Ali Azizi told the Persian service of MNA.

“These studios were previously selling their productions to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), but I’ve heard that IRIB has not paid them as a result of the precarious circumstances surrounding its funding,” he added.

“Moreover, strict IRIB rules and regulations impose certain restrictions on animation works, while animators want to have a free hand to let them use their creativity. As a result, they are reluctant to work with IRIB,” explained Azizi who was formerly a manager of an animation school.

He has recently quit his job to direct an animation project.

Azizi said there are animation studios in Turkey that are working with Iranian animators who are even allowed to work remotely. Their projects are totally or partly done by Iranian studios.

The Turkish studios pay the Iranian animators less than they pay their local employees. Nevertheless, the wages paid to them are still higher than what they receive in Iran.
   
He said that some Iranian animators have also been duped and have failed to receive their wages from the Turkish studios.

The animation industry has developed in Iran over the past decade, but the country has failed to exploit its commercial potential. 

Ashkan Rahgozar, the director of Hoorakhsh, a major animation studio in Tehran, has frequently warned about the emigration of skilled and even semi-professional people working in the country’s animation industry.

In an interview conducted last year, he said the financial motivations are the key factors in these migrations.

“Iran has not done well on efficiently training human resources in this field, and the professionals’ migration issue has really become serious. We are seeing them going to foreign companies for higher salaries. I see no bright prospect for improvement in human resources here, because even semi-professionals are easily attracted by overseas companies,” said Rahgozar who is the director of the acclaimed animated movie, “The Last Fiction”.

Photo: This file photo shows Iranian animators working at a studio of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – Kanoon. (Kanoon/Hamid Tavakkoli)

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