Sara Alimoradi, the young director behind the Iranian animated short Morghsanan, offers a sharp yet ultimately hopeful critique of life under modern capitalist systems.
According to IBland’s News, set in a high-tech poultry farm, the film follows chickens that live in a strict, automated cycle; eating when the lights go on, and sleeping when they go off. But everything changes when one chicken wakes up.
A Satirical Take on Routine and Control
Alimoradi says the idea for Morghsanan came from reflecting on her own repetitive routines. As she explored the concept further, it evolved into a critique of capitalist society, where individuals are trapped in self-reinforcing systems of behavior. In the film, all chickens live thoughtless, mechanical lives; until a small accident disrupts the cycle.
She says: “The entire system breaks down because of a mosquito caught in a machine.” “I originally imagined a more dramatic reason for the disruption but decided instead to show how even a tiny incident can challenge the rhythm of a rigid system.”
The Message Behind the Eyes
In Morghsanan, chickens that awaken to their reality are shown to have visible pupils, symbolizing awareness. One of the birds was conscious even before the disruption but had chosen to remain silent; a metaphor, Alimoradi notes, for the compromises people make in oppressive systems.
Despite its dark themes, Morghsanan ends on a hopeful note, reflecting the director’s own optimism about resistance and change.
A Student Project with a Heavy Load
The film began as a screenplay assignment in Alimoradi’s university writing class. After refining the story during her directing course, she secured limited funding from Iran’s Center for the Development of Documentary and Experimental Cinema.
“I was given $511 in installments; which is nothing for an animated short of this scale,” she explains. “A proper budget for directing alone would be around $3,650.” Because of the limited support, Alimoradi took on nearly every production role herself; including learning compositing from scratch.
Frame-by-Frame with a Purpose
Morghsanan was created using a frame-by-frame animation technique, giving the chickens a more exaggerated, expressive look. While the content is dark, the visual style brings a quirky and humorous layer to the film.
Alimoradi won the Jury Diploma for Best Animated Film at the Tehran International Short Film Festival and is now working on a new series with friends, along with ideas for her next animated short.
Source: Mehrnews