NOWRUZ 1394 Mana Neyestani's Yearbook
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Mana Neyestani’s Yearbook NOWRUZ 1394 Mana Neyestani: “I am my own cameraman offended and think that you are not in the right and scene editor” position. As a cartoonist, how much have you been Mohammad Tangesani influenced by cinema? Any visual material that reaches your eyes and Mana Neyestani was born 42 years ago in Tehran. mind definitely has an impact on your work. Interview with Mana Neyestani 3 Over the last decade, he has become one of Iran’s Paintings, sketches, cartoons, animations, cinema, best-known cartoonists. Anyone who follows theater…they all have an effect. Literature, music Government and Parliament 5 political and social issues in Iran will be familiar and other cultural products will also affect your with Neyestani’s work. work. These effects build the viewpoint and Khamenei 12 The Cartoonists Rights Network International vision that a cartoonist should have. But if you awarded Neyestani with an International Bravery mean the visual impact of cinema on my work, 16 Award in 2010. In recent years, his work has been then maybe it affects, most of all, the frame of my Extremists translated and published in Germany, France, Italy, works. Cinema has probably affected my comic 22 Spain and the UK. books most. Cinema is the art of image and time. Justice Mana Neyestani has lived in Paris for the last few It needs time for the images to stream so that the 30 years. I interviewed him during the last days of the viewer can reach an understanding of this form of Prison Iranian year, and asked him about his work and art. In cartooning, we have one frame only, with future plans. the duration of a fraction of a second. You only see Executions 37 There has been some negative reactions to your a cross-section of an event. But in comic books, cartoons over the past year. What do you think is just like cinema, you have to go through time to Art and Literacy 42 the reason for this? understand the story. The passing of time, or the A cartoonist is a social critique and reacts to the illusion of time, is the essence of comic books. Women 46 daily news. You can see a reflection of different Marjan Satrapi entered the world of cinema with historical eras by following columnist cartoonists her film Persepolis. Have you ever thought of Terrorism 52 for that period. This reflection is not like an image making a film from your cartoons? in a mirror. We are not dealing with a piece of I like cinema very much. I watch films Freeform Drawings 59 metal covered in mercury; this is a human being systematically, although I may not a person who who has his own views and thoughts; who has can be called a film-freak. I wanted to become a an idea of his surroundings and analyzes and director when I was young but it did not happen. criticizes the issues from his own point of view. Nowadays I like to be part of a cinematography A cartoonist is always trying to present the right project, but becoming a director requires, more angle towards what is going on. However, this than anything else, the art of management and is totally relative. Even in the most impartial relating to people. It is teamwork involving tens and realistic criticisms, some people might feel and sometimes hundreds of people. Satrapi NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 3 Mana’s Yearbook has this ability. I don’t have the nerves. I prefer of Iran and the Middle East. You live in France. working alone. This is why I like designing comic How do you keep in touch with Iranian society? books. It has the feeling of cinema for me. The When I was in Iran, I was always in front of actors are the persons I design. There is no need my computer and tried to access a few news 4 to argue. I am my own cameraman and scene websites, like Gooya News, using anti-filter editor. software, to see what was going on in the What is the difference between a caricature, a country. This was because of the huge amount of cartoon and a comic strip? censorship. Now at least I do not need anti-filter Caricature is the art of the exaggeration of faces. software, the internet speed is much faster and Using caricature images to express a political, my time is less wasted. It is true that a physical social, cultural view with a sense of satire is a presence in the country does not necessarily cartoon. Comics are a series of sequential frames mean you are in contact with political issues in the of cartoons that tell a story. When a comic is a country. We do not have any free media in Iran, long or semi-long story and is bound together, so we had to listen to rumors and word of mouth it becomes a comic book. I was never a good or refer to Persian-language foreign websites. Of Government caricaturist. I drew faces in a very normal way. I course living inside the country is important to was better in cartoon and comics. I like both of feel the pulse of the society and general air of the these. Designing and writing comic books is a country. I do not have this and try to acquire it by very personal interest of mine. I also like the daily chatting to friends. But sometimes I feel I am off. and reaction to political and social events in a one- The language the people use, new expressions, frame cartoon. current matters and things of this sort cannot be You have published your cartoon books in retrieved from outside the country. different countries. How have Western audiences Has living in France ever make you think about Parliament reacted to your work? a French audience? It was good in France; quite normal and in a I have not really been integrated in this society. logical way. The majority of my cartoons are about I understand the language to a certain degree. I issues in Iran. Naturally I have a larger audience feel I am a guest. And I am not sure how long I will among the Persian-speaking population. My stay. Maybe I will relocate a few years on, because book of 200 cartoons sold well in France; South of my job and work. All of this has stopped me Korea bought the copyright to publish it, which from being concerned by what this society is was very interesting for me. The Nouvelle Graphic concerned about. I do not relate so much to them. of “An Iranian Metamorphosis” [about his time My last book that I wrote in France was about the in prison in Iran], had better sales in France, and problem of refugees and the refugee issue in this was republished a few times. This book has been country. This is a topic of the day in this society, translated to German, English, Italian and Spanish. but our own issues are also involved in this topic. Your cartoons’ main themes are the social issues NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 5 Mana’s Yearbook Rouhani: No one has been arrested in Iran because of journalism 6 Let’s Put an End to Parasitic Monopolies in our Economy NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 7 Mana’s Yearbook Negotiations... 8 And the Talks Continue… Extending the negotiations NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 9 Mana’s Yearbook Halal Filtering 10 Two faces of Ali Mottahari The Ousted Minister NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 11 Mana’s Yearbook Controller of his Excellency 12 Khamenei NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 13 Mana’s Yearbook The Prostate Shrine Raising the Monster (Mohammd Yazdi elected as chair to the Assembly of Experts) Last week Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei received a stream of visitors at his Tehran hospital bed, after being admitted for prostate surgery. State television and newspapers carried extensive footage of these bedside visitiations, during which political loyalists and the regime elite bent over to kiss the Supreme Leader’s forehead and profess their fidelity; Khamenei received these attentions with a resigned composure. The caricaturist here portrays 14 Khamenei as a self-contained Shia shrine, drawing the faithul to prayer and pilgrimage. NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 15 Mana’s Yearbook Resistance Front MPs to Government: Khatami should be banned from travelling abroad and from making speeches; photographs of him should be banned from publication 16 Extremists NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 17 Mana’s Yearbook President Rouhani, presumably, on the Revolutionary Guards: “When a group has a monopoly on guns, money and media, it inevitably becomes corrupt.“ 18 Stew Jihad Ayatollah Jannati’s resistance economy: «What’s wrong with having only one meal a day?» Reza Azimi, Intelligence Officer of Khorasan-e Razavi Governor’s Office: American think tanks have substituted Stew with Pizza in Iran. NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 19 Mana’s Yearbook Family Planning Coming soon: Vasectomy ward at Evin Prison 20 NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 21 Mana’s Yearbook Grieving Mothers of Iran 22 Justice NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 23 Mana’s Yearbook 24 The Acid Thrower Isfahan Acid Throwing Files, Three Months Later NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 25 Mana’s Yearbook Happiness is a Crime The Usual Suspects 26 NOWRUZ 1394 Mana’s Yearbook 27 Mana’s Yearbook Akhtar Street Of Facebook and Other ” Criminal Tools The imprisoned opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard are being kept by On Sunday, July 13, Iranian authorities on ’Akhtar Street,’ and the website Kalame reported recently that their conditions have become eight people who more “securitized.” Although all expectations held that President Hassan Rouhani would manage to secure their had been critical of 28 release, one year into his term this has proven insurmountable.