by Dan Bloom, producer
Marjane Satrapi speaks many tounges and dabbles in as many artistic forms. A graphic novelist turned filmmaker, Satrapi was born in Iran, but at this point she has spent most of her life in Europe. Austria was her first destination as a teenaged student, and now she lives in France. Though Satrapi is a proud global citizen, she remains artistically inspired by her native Iran.
Satrapi has gained global acclaim for her graphic novels and films. Her debut was ‘Persepolis,’ originally published as a four-part graphic novel and adapted for the screen in a 2007, garnering an academy award nomination. Her latest work is another adaptation of a graphic novel, ‘Chicken with Plums’ (in limited release this weekend.)
The common threads in her work are a nuanced and melancholic view of Iran, a deep love for its people, and reverence for the Persian storytelling tradition. If anyone is qualified to speak for the dissident Iranian community, it is she, and Marjane Satrapi is a person worth hearing.