Many Iranians carry the history of their country and the gravity of pride passed down in their families. Iranians were originally a tribe from India and settled in a city they called Persepolis, or Persian City in Greek. Their empire had many names and spanned 550 million kilometers, or over 340 million miles. The original settlement of modern-day Iran served as inspiration for a French cartoon novel, or bandes dessinées, written by an Iranian artist turned Hollywood director.

Iranian-born author and director Marjane Satrapi used her life as inspiration for her first novel. In her two part bandes dessinées, Persepolis and Persepolis 2, she documents her life growing up in Iran and abroad in Austria before and during the Iranian Revolution. Her bandes dessinées depict Iranian women of all ages as deeply poetic and outspoken. In Persepolis and Persepolis 2, her outspoken behavior and disregard for the rules often landed her in trouble. Though, as an adult, it has made her an icon. Satrapi directed the animated feature of Persepolis and several other films, depicting Iran and strong humans in new, stunning ways. Additionally, she advocates for equality internationally. Here’s a look at Satrapi’s career, from graphic novelist to Hollywood director.

Directorial Debut: Persepolis

     France 3 Cinéma

While reflecting on the film adaptation of her book Persepolis, Satrapi revealed to MPR News, “If you understand that a guy who is dying is exactly like you, who likes to go to the movies, and eat ice-cream and make love to his wife and has a mother and children and hopes etcetera, then it becomes much more difficult. So if this movie can participate in that fact and say, ‘Hey! It’s just a matter of human beings, no matter where you come from, all of us we are human, let’s think about that.’”

This message of hope is innate with Iranians. After the Shah was overthrown, rejoicing in the streets was short-lived as the next regime used fear to control their citizens. Many of the reports about the government focus on this fear and erase the hope and kindness each Iranian feels. For those who emigrated before the Revolution, they left knowing they may never return to Iran. Persepolis is significant in how the average Iranian or Iranian immigrant feels and what they hold dear.

The Voices

     Lionsgate

In her fourth film The Voices, Satrapi wanted to diversify the stories she helped tell. As much as the world needs to see films about Iran and other places or people who are underrepresented, it’s important for these same people to tell funny stories. The Voices starring Ryan Renolds and Anna Kendrick was just what Satrapi needed. She revealed to The Guardian why the film is special and new: “I need to break the frame I’ve made for myself in order to move on. I don’t want to have any regrets once I have all the tubes in all the holes of my body… With movies, I have an idea and I set out to do it and then someone like Ryan Reynolds comes along and makes it amazing!” Jerry, portrayed by Reynolds, is a cheerful factory worker who hears his dog and cat instruct him to murder the women he dates to stop the voices in his head. The film is gorey, funny, and unexpected from the ensemble cast.

Radioactive

     Working Title Films

Marie Curie is one of the most renowned scientists in the world. In Satrapi’s fifth film Radioactive, she returned to her youthful side. She described why making Radioactive was important to her in an interview with Town & Country Mag: “I love this woman who really does not care, because she does not have the time to care about what people may think about her. She wants to do her job… I think that nobody is more lovable than the people that don’t ask for love.” Curie and Satrapi are quite similar in how they approach the world: they carry labels placed upon them but are not defined by them. Their intention, as is with any woman, is to occupy as much space as possible. Not to push back but just to exist. With Rosamund Pike as the legendary scientist, Radioactive is now available for rent and streaming on digital platforms.

Political Activism

     Sony Pictures Classics

The gravity of the term ‘feminist’ has become so muddled and misconstrued, much like how Iranians are perceived based on media reports, that many women have adamantly denied the label. Women and men alike will hold things like clean water, education, and healthcare in high regard, fighting for and speaking up against oppression in the name of equality and equity. Satrapi is one of these women. In an interview with Freely Magazine she states that, “Iranian women are lions. In a strictly patriarchal society, they continue to push nonsensical boundaries that put bars on their self-expression.” For Satrapi, being an activist and wanting equality is much deeper than gender. Being an activist is the fight against ignorance and compliance. Furthermore, as she explains to ABC News, “The second you get to travel you see that human beings no matter where they come from, they are the same. What you say is completely true, I was defending Iran, then I went back and that was the time of the (2004) election, and I was defending Americans in France.” Activism is rooted in humanness not in one group maintaining power and spreading ignorance.