The unveiling ceremony of the animation ‘Jamshid and Khorshid’ directed by Behrouz Yaghmaeian was held recently at Mahak Welfare and Treatment Complex in Tehran.
Farhad Tohidi, chairman of Iranian House of Cinema (IHC), Sorush Sehat, member, board of directors and the animation crew attended the event, Mehr news agency reported.
Referring to the ‘City of Mice 2’ as the highest grossing animation film in Iran (earned 113 billion rials or $3.2 million), Tohidi anticipated a similar record for Jamshid and Khorshid, saying the production can “bring joy and excitement to cinema” in the same way City of Mice 2 did.
Nader Yaghmaeian, producer of the animation underlined the significance of producing such box office hits “as Iranian cinema lacks animations.” He said he and his brother were determined to produce ‘Jamshid and Khorshid’ after the success of their first creation ‘The Sun of Egypt’.
The two brothers have been working together in the field of animation for more than 20 years, producing 20,000 minutes of animated works.
Admiring the work ethics of the Yaghmaeian brothers, Ravanbakhsh Sadeghi, animator and managing director of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) in Iran pointed out that “in some countries, the revenue from animation production has managed to exceed (our) oil revenues.”
In Iran, however, realization has not yet dawned that “good returns can be earned on investment in the animation sector,” he lamented.
Long-Awaited Release
Produced in 2005 with a budget of $780,000, the animation had to wait for about 10 years before it could be released, for reasons that were not disclosed by the producers.
Jamshid and Khorshid is the fourth Iranian feature animation after ‘The Sun of Egypt’, ‘Tehran 1500’, and ‘Battle of the Kings: Rostam and Sohrab’.
The film was produced through the contribution of 75 top Iranian animators in four years with complete private sector investment, said Yaghmaeian.
Adapted from an ancient Iranian myth, the story is about Jamshid, son of Chengiz Khan, who dreams of the daughter of Roman Caesar (Khorshid) and falls in love with her.
Voice actors include Parviz Parastooyi (as the astrologer and Karam), Amin Hayai (as Jamshid), Taraneh Alidoosti (as Khorshid), Rambod Javan (as Mahan), Soraya Ghasemi (as the maid), Habib Rezayi (as Aba) and Changiz Jalilvand (as the Khan). Jalilvand was also the dubbing director.
