February 2, 2024
One Iranian film has made the Oscar nominations his year; “Our Uniform” is a seven-minute animated film about Iran’s school uniforms directed by Yegane Moghaddam.
In the film, voiced in Farsi, an Iranian girl unfolds her school memories by going through the folds and fabrics of her old uniform. She admits that she’s nothing but a female and explores the roots of this idea in her school years. This film is a social satire about the clothing conventions imposed on young children.
Iran’s submission for best international film Oscar, however, was dropped from consideration early in the process. Iran had submitted “The Night Guardian” for consideration in the international film competition, formerly call the foreign language film category. A total of 88 countries sent their choices. In December, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picked 15. But Iran was not among them. The 15 have now been reduced to five actual nominees and the Oscar winner will be chosen by all academy members.
There could be a political dimension to Iran’s Oscar competition this year as one of the other four films nominated in the animated short category is an Israeli production, “Letter to a Pig.” The Islamic Republic does not allow its athletes to compete against Israelis; it remains to be seen if the authorities in Tehran will apply that rule to the Oscar competitions.
Moghaddam not only directed the film but also produced it herself. It has proven popular at film festivals. It won the grand jury prize at Spain’s Animayo festival, which automatically sent it to the Oscar competition.
In the film, Moghaddam uses her old uniform as the star. She literally paints on the uniform fabric to tell her story about a character who dreams of a better future, which may also offend some hardliners in Tehran who could see the film as feminist.
Moghaddam said, “We spend a big part of our lives inside our uniforms and they’re an important part of our daily lives. It’s like we grow up inside our uniforms…. This uniform is more than just a piece of clothing. It is a text to be decoded.”
Moghaddam also says she produced the film as an effort to develop her skills with animation techniques and not with a message in mind. “It was basically a fun and amateur experience to explore the possibilities of the animation realm.”
She says her works are usually centered around the themes of nature and conservation, but currently she is working on a three-part animated series, portraying different aspects of living “as a girl in a restricted society.”
This year, the Oscar winners will be announced March 10.