Short Film: “The Smallest Power”

This compelling animation is the first in a series of The New Yorker documentaries.

One of my DePaul colleagues is Naghmeh Farzaneh.

Naghmeh Farzaneh is an Iranian filmmaker, art director, and animator based in Chicago. Her independent films have received international recognition and awards in festivals such as Animateka, Heartland, Chicago Children’s Film Festival, Tricky women, Farhang, New Orleans Film, and Oberhausen Film Festival. Her animated short, Scent of Geranium, was premiered by Vimeo and was selected as one of the ten best short films from 2017 by the National Geographic Short Film Showcase.

Over the last decade, Naghmeh has extensively collaborated with independent artists and filmmakers. She has held key roles as a director and art director for clients such as The New Yorker, Meow Wolf, Sesame Workshop, ACLU, TED-ED, and Onassis Foundation. In 2020 she was the animation art director of the feature documentary In the Dark of the Valley, which received an Emmy nomination for outstanding Social Issue Documentary.

Let’s zero in on that project with The New Yorker. Just this week, Naghmeh sent this email to her DePaul colleagues:

I am happy to share The Smallest Power, the animated film I directed for The New Yorker documentary, which was released on April 17th. This was the first original fully animated film produced at The New Yorker, and I am honored to have had this opportunity.

On a more personal note, this was a complicated project, and being part of it has profoundly challenged my personal, cultural, and professional values and boundaries. I would like to use this opportunity to draw attention back to the true mission of this film, which was to create a dialogue about the Women, Life, Freedom movement and its aftermath.

Ever since the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini in August 2022, which resulted in widespread protests across Iran, once again, the government has been cracking down on dissent by its systematic suppression methods. Imprisoning journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, public figures, filmmakers, students, and ordinary citizens, handing out unjust verdicts, and subjecting those detained to inhumane treatment has caused widespread concern and outrage among the people; Director Zahra Shafiei, suffering brain stroke due to blows to her head during arrest, the prominent director Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran on foot after the Islamic court sentenced him to 8 years in prison, whips, fine and confiscation of property for signing statements and making films, Toomaj Salehi, the Iranian rapper, has been sentenced to death for “corruption on earth.” These are only a few examples of what the Iranian people have endured and witnessed in the last few months. Needless to say, all of these have been happening while the unsettling tensions in the Middle East have been unfolding. On the other hand, the release of this film coincided with a new wave of extreme and brutal attacks on women in Iran to force the compulsory hijab and the shocking report released by BBC about Nika Shakarami’s death.

Despite the dark days that humanity is experiencing, I remind myself that the story of this film is a true testimony to resistance, unity, and the power within it.

Woman, Life, Freedom

What Naghmeh achieved with this short film — the animation, the storytelling — creates a compelling viewing experience. Watch it here.

This short film reminds us that as individuals, we still have power. As the courageous Protagonist of the story, says: “At that moment, I just felt I had to do something.” Her intervention, along with those of her medical colleagues, may have saved the young resident’s life.

The power to act in the moment.

“I spent most of my life just dreaming of escaping this regime. But since this all began, all I can think about is how much I want this country to be free and how much I want to stay.”

The power to persevere despite the odds.

Congratulations to Naghmeh who, as the film’s animation director, collaborated in creating a testament to the potential of humans to stand up and effect change.

To learn more about Naghmeh, go here to visit her website.

Go here to subscribe to The New Yorker YouTube station.

To learn more about the DePaul School of Cinematic Arts, go here.