Persepolis 2.0

Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis (2007) brought the wit and style of her original graphic novel to a much wider audience. The story of a young girl forced to leave Iran for Europe after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has a charm and visual panache that is all too rare in mainstream cinema. By turns funny, heartbreaking, touching and deeply affecting, Persepolis demonstrates what political turmoil does to ordinary human life. Like Animal Farm it also describes the corruption of ideals with a directness, sincerity and moral clarity that has more to say that a thousand leader articles on the subject. 

SPREAD PERSEPOLIS

Persepolis 2.0 is the work of two Iranian exiles called Sina and Payman. They have set up www.spreadpersepolis.com to promote the story of the disputed June election results, the ensuing protests, the murder of Neda Agha Soltan and the part that Twitter has played in it all. Satrapi is not involved but has given her permission for the update to her work, which maintains her distinctive black and white style.

GETTING PEOPLE TALKING

Sina and Payman's point is not to emulate Satrapi's artistic achievement, but rather to get people talking about Iran and what is going on there. This is a superb project, with the inspiring aim of resisting the entrenched power of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.