March 7, 2018
The Iranian cinematographer Ali Farahani and the composer Amir Sadeqi Konjani have been recognized for their work in “The Child of Silence,” which won the 2018 Oscar for the Best Live Action Short Film. It’s a 20-minute movie directed by Chris Overton and written by Rachel Shenton.
Ali Farahani has more than 15 years of experience in the film and television industry. In an interview with the Mehr News Agency, Mr. Farahani said that he had been making short promotional films for UK-based Slick Films since 2015. His work on a documentary about deaf and mute people in the UK prompted the producers of “The Child of Silence” to hire him for the project. Farahani believes that the film will raise public awareness about the challenges that deaf and mute people face in society.
Farahani is currently working on a feature film, “The Krays: Dead Man Walking,” directed by Richard Taylor and due to be released in December 2018. He is also working on “A Glimpse,” a short film directed by Tom Turner.
Amir Sadeqi Konjani composed the theme music for “The Child of Silence.” Mr. Konjani is a prominent composer whose works have been performed at prestigious venues including the Ether Festival in London, the Ashleywood Festival, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, the California Institute of Arts, the Fajr Music Festival and the Aun Gallery.
Despite receiving his visa, Konjani didn’t attend the Oscar ceremony in protest to the U.S.’s discriminatory treatment of Iranians. “ There were long queues at the U.S. Embassy’s visa section. They were mistreating Iranians. Some of the questions were humiliating,” Konjani said.
He added: “I received a rude email from the Embassy following my interview. They wanted me to provide them with details of my family and friends. They also asked for a list of social media sites I had visited and places I had traveled to in the past 15 years. They asked very personal questions. So in the end, I decided not to go.”
