Dualities and Identity in Persepolis

In the second half of our Biopic Chapter we are shifting the focus to stories about women, and this one is particularly exciting, because it is also our first discussion of an animation. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis based on Satrapi’s graphic novel of the same name is a refreshing take on a coming-of-age autobiography that is not only rooted in the specificity of a childhood during the Iranian Revolution, but also uses the medium to explore universal themes. Join us to talk about its historical significance, the possibilities of animation in revealing the essence of cinema, and the dualities that form an identity. They demonstrate that the pursuit of truth does not necessarily rely on an indexically sound imitation of this world.