Amitis Mehrabian - Interview of a painter and stop-motion fimmaker

Bio

Amitis Mehrabian is an Iranian painter and stop-motion filmmaker whose artistic journey began at an early age. She received her first painting award at the age of eight and has since earned numerous provincial, national, and international honors in painting and animation. Among her recent achievements are First Prize at Iran's National Student Short Film Festival, First Prize at the National Healthy Teen Festival, First Prize at the National Mehrabani Short Film Festival, First Prize at the National Asman Short Film Festival for Teen Digital Media Productions, and international recognition at the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions – Lift-Off. As both a painter and a stop-motion animator, she believes that color, composition, and handcrafted movement can express emotions beyond words. Her films explore the relationship between humanity, nature, and hope through symbolic visual storytelling.

1. What personal experience or observation inspired the core story of the film?

What stayed with me was not a single event, but a gradual change that many of us barely notice. Parks become concrete, trees disappear behind buildings, and pollution slowly becomes part of everyday life. In Ikigai: A Reason to Survive, the story begins with a peaceful family enjoying nature. As factories and buildings appear one by one, nature fades away and the family gradually disappears. The monster is not an external enemy—it is created from industrial waste and pollution, symbolizing the consequences of our own actions.

2. How did you develop the film's visual language (color, framing, movement) to reflect its themes?

I wanted the visuals to carry the story without dialogue. The opening uses open compositions and natural colors to create harmony. As industry expands, the frames become increasingly crowded and heavy. After the monster destroys everything, a crane-like rotating camera movement reveals the scale of the devastation. The final image—a lonely girl whose tear gives life to a single red flower—was designed as the emotional heart of the film, suggesting that hope can emerge even after destruction.

3. Which filmmakers, films, writers, or artworks most influenced your approach to this project, and in what ways?

I admire filmmakers who communicate profound ideas through visual storytelling. Hayao Miyazaki's respect for nature and humanity inspired me, while the handcrafted stop-motion tradition of Aardman Animations encouraged me to value patience and detail. As a painter, I naturally think in color, composition, and symbolism before words, and these influences helped shape my own visual language.

4. Can you describe a scene that changed significantly during production or editing, and why that change mattered?

The ending became the emotional center of the film. I deliberately kept it simple. Rather than ending with destruction, I chose to end with a quiet moment: a girl crying among the ruins, and from one tear a red flower grows. The flower does not erase the tragedy—it represents the possibility of renewal. I wanted audiences to leave with hope instead of despair.

5. How do you approach collaborating with actors to find the right tone and truth for their characters?

As this is a stop-motion film, performance comes through movement rather than dialogue. I approached each character like a real actor, carefully shaping posture, rhythm, and gestures. In stop-motion, even the smallest movement can completely change the audience's emotional response.

6. What do you hope audiences will take away—emotionally or intellectually—after seeing the film?

I hope people leave the film with a stronger awareness of their relationship with nature, but also with hope. Environmental challenges are real, yet I believe meaningful change begins with empathy and small actions. The final flower reminds us that even in the darkest moments, new life is still possible.

7. How do your ideas about film shape the kinds of stories you want to make next?

I believe cinema is more than entertainment. It is a universal language that can inspire reflection, empathy, and change. In the future, I want to continue creating visually driven stories that explore humanity, hope, and social issues through handcrafted animation.

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