The Siren(HKAFF2023)

Berlin International Film Festival
Best Original Music for a Feature Film, Annecy International Animated Film Festival

After years of making documentaries and fictional films, France-based Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi turns to animation for the first time to recreate her experiences in wartime Iran. The result is a visually striking ode to the extraordinary power of human resilience under extreme circumstances. In 1980, the Iraqi military occupies the city of Abadan, the capital of Iran’s oil industry, during the Iraq-Iran War. 14-year-old Omid is staying in the city with his grandfather and several others. As destruction spreads, Omid finds a lifeline when he discovers an abandoned boat.