Navozande, The Musician, is an award-winning animated short film scripted and directed by Reza Riahi. The Navozande film is about a young musician and his lover in the 13th century who at the time of the Mongols attack, are separated. Fifty years later, the musician is summoned to perform at the Mongols’ palace where his beloved is held captive. The main themes of this film are war, history, love, and politics. Some of the other details of the film include France as the production country, released in 2020, and a runtime of 15 minutes.
Meet the Navozande Cast
A dedicated team of various creative designers has been working together to bring this historical love story to life. The team consists of:
- Director & Script Writer of Navozande: Reza Riahi
- Director of Photography: Nadine Buss
- Producer: Eleanor Coleman, Stéphanie Carreras, Philippe Pujo
- Navozande Musician: Saba Alizadeh
- Editing: Myriam Copier
- Sound: Vincent Milner, Thomas Brzustowski
- Animation: Eric Montchaud, Clémence Bouchereau, Cécile Milazzo, Adeline Faye
Navozande Plot and Navozande Trailer
The Navozande short film is being shot around the time when the Mongols were trying to lead the world and conquer the various lands to have their reigns. Due to the attacks, a young musician and the love of his life are being separated from each other. Then, the same musician was invited as an honorary to perform in the castle of the Mongols where the Mongols have beheld his love of life.
Nominations and Awards for Navozande Short Film
This exceptional short film has been nominated five times and won three awards which include the following.
- Nominee for Cinema Jove- International Film Festival 2021
- Winner of Grand Jury Prize, Nashville Film Festiva; 2021
- Winner of Special Jury Award, Nominee for Best Animated Short and Best of the Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest 2021
- Nominee for SXSW Grand Jury Award, SXSW Film Festival 2021
- Winner of Best Animated Short, Tribeca Film Festival 2021
- Nominee for IMDbPro Short Cuts, Toronto International Film Festival 2020
Director of Navozande
Reza Riahi was brought up in Tehran, Iran. He pursued his passion and studied painting, only to realize he wanted more. Reza wanted a beginning and an end and wanted to stage things, which were all absent in the art of painting. The desire to do something more with his art landed him in the world of animation.
Since 2008, he has worked on several animation projects and tv series in Iran, France, and Ireland. Reza has also directed short animation movies for ARTE channel, France3, and TED-ed while also art directing the feature animation movie “The Breadwinner”. Currently, he resides and works in Paris.
According to the director, Reza Riahi of the movie Navozande, Persian poetry is filled with various amounts of love and generosity. This allows hope to creep in this time of the world. Growing up in a Persian family, he has found these patterns in the music and poetry of these countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, extending into Mongolia and China.
Outstanding Elements of the Film
Layout: The film beautifully portrays thehistoric times and takes the audience through that era. The colors used and the scenery integrates well into the themes of the film.
Texturing: The artists working behind the scenes have carefully thought about stimulating and engaging the audience’s sense of touch. They have given attention to detail, bringing the characters into life.
Lighting: They have used different types of light sources to truly enhance the beauty and emotion of this short film
What Is the Message?
In life, sometimes we experience pain, sadness, and loss. Sometimes we are far away from our near and dear ones. Sometimes we have to live in unfavorable situations. But will true love conquer all? Yes.
