WANA (Mar 03) –  “In the Shadow of the Cypress” , a production of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon), has become the first Iranian animation to reach the pinnacle of the world’s most prestigious cinematic event, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

 

This 20-minute animation, co-directed by Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi, was screened at over 100 international festivals and won more than 20 awards, including Best Animation prizes from Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Tribeca, Los Angeles, Spark, and AnimaYō. It received widespread acclaim from the global film community.

 

Reaching the final five nominees for Best Animated Short at the 97th Academy Awards was a remarkable achievement, but just one step away from ultimate victory. A day before the official ceremony, Emma Thompson—renowned British actress and screenwriter, winner of two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, two BAFTA Awards, and an Emmy—predicted that In the Shadow of the Cypress would take home the Oscar due to its beautiful and delicate storytelling.

On Monday, March 3, 2025, the Academy officially announced In the Shadow of the Cypress as the winner of the Best Animated Short Film award. The Iranian artistic duo, Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, were invited to the stage at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, to receive the Oscar statuette—an extraordinary achievement for Iranian cinema.

 

The animation tells a profound and humanistic story, portraying a former sea captain and his daughter living in a remote coastal area by the Persian Gulf. The film explores the psychological effects of war, delivering its emotions through a universal language, entirely without dialogue.

 

The official synopsis of In the Shadow of the Cypress reads: “A retired sea captain suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) lives in isolation with his daughter in a small house by the sea. They struggle with the challenges of a harsh life. Despite the captain’s deep desire to be a caring and devoted father, he finds himself unable to connect with his daughter the way he wishes. One morning, an unexpected event changes their lives forever. Whether this event brings new hope or new hardships remains to be seen.”

In the Shadow of the Cypress, a joint production by Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi, has won numerous international awards. Social Media / WANA News Agency

Iranian Animation Gains Third Oscar Qualifying Opportunity

WANA (August 04) – The Iranian animation In the Shadow of the Cypress received its third opportunity to compete for an Oscar after winning the Best Short Animation Award at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival.   The 28th edition of the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival concluded with awards for Best Short […]

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To win this prestigious award, In the Shadow of the Cypress faced fierce competition against Beautiful Men, Magic Candy, Drifting and Amazing, and Oh!.

 

This Oscar marks a historic milestone as the first-ever Academy Award for Iranian animation and Kanoon productions. It is also the third Iranian film to win an Oscar, following Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman and A Separation.

 

The film’s exceptional artistic and technical quality—crafted using traditional 2D hand-drawn animation frame by frame—demonstrates the creators’ commitment to precision and detail. The film’s visual aesthetics and character design have also been widely praised, earning accolades such as the Best Character Design and Animation award at the Tehran Animation Biennial.

 

Previously, Children of Heaven by Majid Majidi, another Kanoon production, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1999 Oscars, and In the Embrace of the Tree, directed by Babak Khajeh-Pasha, was Iran’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.