BirGün Gazetesi

Rebellious Marji and Persepolis

Ümit Kartoğlu "It is entirely up to us to be free to make our own choices. We all have a choice." Marjane Satrapi When I think of Iranian cinema, I immediately recall the films I have most admired - My Favorite Cake, A Separation, The Salesman, It Was Just an Accident, and Taste of Cherry, along with their remarkable directors: Maryam Moghadam / Behtash Sanaeeha , Asghar Farhadi , Jafar Panahi and Abbas Kiarostami . Although Marjane (Marji) Satrapi isn’t typically counted among those who have left their mark on Iranian cinema, Persepolis is significant as one of the first works that millions of people in the West have read or watched about Iran. Marji passed away recently, on June 4, at the age of 56. The death of the beloved Iranian-French artist resonated widely, prompting widespread remembrance of the life and struggle of the comic book writer, illustrator, filmmaker, and activist; a life dedicated to resistance, freedom, and humanity. Marji ’s book Persepolis , which uniquely intertwines her personal story with political history, and its animated film adaptation, are considered among the most influential modern autobiographical works on Iran, the revolution, exile, and the experience of migration. The film has been nominated 58 times at various film festivals and has won a total of 30 awards, including the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. In Türkiye, the film Persepolis was nominated for the SİYAD Award for Best Foreign Film by the Turkish Film Critics Association in 2008, but it placed fifth. Although she titled both the book and the film Persepolis , Marji never used this ancient city as a setting for her story. Located near Shiraz in modern-day Iran, Persepolis , founded by 1. Darius around 518 BCE, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and one of the world’s most significant archaeological sites, thereby reminding readers that Iranian history did not begin with the 1979 Islamic Revolution but extends back thousands of years to a far more deeply rooted Persian civilization. In this context, the work had been highly influential in shaping how millions of people around the world perceive modern Iranian history and identity. This choice of title, in a sense, underscores continuity and emphasizes that Iranians are more than just their governments: to understand modern Iran, you must also remember that it is the heir to Ancient Persia. One of the key features that sets apart is its refusal to draw a distinction between the personal and the political. The work depicts, through the eyes of a young girl (Marji) growing up during and after the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, how ideology, war, and authoritarianism permeate people’s daily lives. Here, politics is experienced through school rules, clothing, ways of speaking, fears, and family relationships. Thus, as the political becomes personal, the personal also acquires a political meaning. Both the book and the film stand out for their black-and-white visual style. This choice is not merely an aesthetic decision. On the one hand, it reinforces the emotional and moral clarity of a child’s perspective, while on the other, it brings to light the complexities and uncertainties of the adult world. The simplicity of the illustrations creates a powerful contrast with the complexity of weighty themes such as loss, identity, resistance, belonging, and exile. One of the work’s greatest strengths is its tone. Despite addressing difficult subjects like war, oppression, and exile, it is at times humorous, ironic, and even playful. This balance ensures the narrative does not devolve into either a dry political propaganda piece or a wholly tragic lament. The result is a vivid, breathing, and psychologically compelling narrative. The film adaptation is quite successful in preserving the graphic novel’s visual language. Rather than attempting to enhance realism, as many adaptations do, it has consciously preserved the drawings' simplicity and two-dimensional aesthetic. Thus, the focus is not on visual spectacle, but on the processes of sound, memory, recollection, and interpretation. In my view, Persepolis is a landmark work that brings together literature, the art of the graphic novel, and political testimony without compromising its emotional depth. Moreover, this work is not merely about Iran; it is also a universal story about growing up under oppression, building an identity, seeking belonging, and confronting exile. Perhaps this is where Persepolis ’ enduring impact lies: while telling the story of Iran, it actually tells a much broader human experience. Films written and directed by Marjane Satrapi (with the exception of The Voices - screenplay by Michael R. Perry, and Radioactive - screenplay by Jack Thorne and Lauren Redniss) Marjane Satrapi ’s refusal in 2025 to accept the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest state honor, was not surprising given her character and political stance. In a letter to the French Minister of Culture, Marjane explained that she would not accept the award because she found France’s stance on Iran to be “hypocritical.” In her letter, she specifically criticized France’s visa policies. Just as she had emphasized individual conscience over states, ideologies, and symbols throughout Persepolis , Marji did the same in 2025: rather than accepting France’s honor, she chose to draw attention to the concrete problems faced by Iranian youth and dissidents. As I bow in respect before her memory, I wanted to share with you my favorite part of the interview conducted by Michael Mann, which was featured on the cover of the February 2008 issue of ION Magazine , a Vancouver-based art and culture magazine: “Dialectical materialism and the importance of the economy are things that you can see every day in the current world. There are lots of things that he [Marx] said that are not bullshit, you know? Once in a while people tell me “You’re from the extreme left.” I don’t know what is extreme left but I think if you want people not to be angry… there is something that can save the world that is like a weapon of mass construction, it’s cultural instruction. To be able to give cultural instruction to people they have to have somewhere to live and they have to be able to eat. I think we have to give a minimum of life to people. If that is called being a Marxist, well I’m a Marxist then. I think that healthcare should be free for everybody and I think that education should be free for everybody. These are the kind of things that I do believe in.”

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