Vox Populi: There’s no denying that we’re living in a defining cultural moment. A war of ideas is taking place on many fronts and fundamental principles once considered secure are being threatened by fear of the other. Anti-immigrant vitriol and policy is gaining support, while bans, deportations, and border walls have become ubiquitous in public dialogue. With pundits and politicians engaged in games of rhetoric, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the very human lives at stake.

Naghmeh Farzaneh’s short animated film “Scent of Geranium” is an autobiographical account of the director’s experience with immigration from Iran when she was a young woman. Farzaneh gives voice to the fears, doubts, and complex range of emotions that immigrants face, and she makes a powerful call for a more compassionate approach.

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AWARDS
Winner, Audience Award, Best short animated, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, 2017
Winner, Best Student Director, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, 2017
Winner, Best film, Elephant Programme, Animateka Festival, Slovenia, 2016
Winner, Faculty Award, School of Film and Animation, RIT, 2016
Winner, Designation in Fine art – Adobe Achievement Award, 2016
Special Jury Award, New Orleans Film Festival, New Orleans, 2016
Winner, Best animated Short Film, Hong Kong Art-house Film Festival, 2016