Persepolis

It’s the perfect time to learn a little more about Iran, the Islamic Revolution, and the regime that once brought a prosperous country to poverty, isolation, and war. Let’s see it all through the eyes of a little girl named Marjan, who grew up, emigrated, and made an animated film about her life.

Spirited eight-year-old Marjan loves her dad, mom, grandmother, punk music, and Bruce Lee. She also loves the Shah, whom she learned about at school: Marjan lives in Tehran, and it’s 1978, on the eve of the Islamic Revolution.

 Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, César Award for Best Debut and Best Adapted Screenplay, Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

 This week, under the “Iranian Cinema” section, we’ve curated several films that impressed us the most — works that help shed light on what has been happening in the country in recent years.