Nov 13, 2024

2025 Oscar Short Film Candidates: -Tomorrow - Director Aryasb Feiz

Cartoon Brew focuses on an animated short that was nominated for an Academy Award in 2025. Films in this series have been certified on one of several routes, including winning an Oscar at a film festival, exhibiting in a theater or winning a Student Academy Award.

Today's film is tomorrow from Iranian filmmaker Aryasb Feiz. The short film won the Best Animated Short Film Award at the Foil Film Festival in Ireland and was qualified for an Academy Award.

In the 1970s Shiraz, Iran, a scrap 10-year-old street urchin is struggling to survive the daily hardships of life. His encounter with stray dogs will change the lives of both of them. Tomorrow this website covers in its early stages of development, beautifully raw in cg animation by Feiz studio Badstache, which he founded a decade ago in Tehran

Cartoon Brew: Between dawn and dusk, light is key in telling this story between dark interiors and bright streets. How did you approach this particular aspect of the film, both narrative and visual-

Aryasb Feiz: Light was very important in this thriller because the position of the sun acted as a ticking clock. I carefully planned the exact time of the script and determined the location of the sun in Shiraz in the fall before designing the set. This allowed me to adjust the set angles to achieve the lighting and configuration I wanted without compromising continuity. Technically, it was challenging. Our programmers and writers have developed a script that advances the time between shots.

I also wanted the sun to feel brutal, creating a strong contrast between the dark interior and the bright exterior. The boy is afraid of it, because in this story the sun represents time, and time is the main adversary. Whenever possible, he and the dog take refuge in the shade and find a short moment of peace away from the relentless march of time.

What was forced to connect with you and direct a film about this story or concept-

This story was born out of months of brainstorming with my co-writers Amir Zogi and Kabe Luintan. We aimed to make an adult thriller set in Shiraz. I wrote the script and started production. Over time, I realized that I unconsciously poured a lot of myself into it. I've never experienced poverty or harsh living, but I'm deeply concerned with the boy's choice under pressure, as well as how I feel about deadlines and lack of time. I also sympathize with his internal struggle between tradition and modernity, past and future. Unfortunately, the struggle of the Iranian people continues to deteriorate, and the story has not lost its relevance. It has become even more timely. That's why I felt I had to complete the film.

What did you learn through the experience of making this film, production wise, filmmaking wise, creatively, or on the subject-

Production Wise, I learned a lot about managing a large team of artists. Instead of relying on endless iterations later, it's important to take the time to choose the right person and thoroughly pre-explain your vision. I also learned that unexpected things happen, like the global pandemic, which forces everyone to work from home for 2 years.That's why adaptability is important in our line of work.

When it comes to filmmaking, I've learned how to tell more with fewer shots and compress storytelling into a single shot rather than multiple cuts. To shorten the film from 30 minutes to its final length, I rewritten the script, cut out unnecessary referrals, and trusted the audience to guess certain things. I also developed a deep appreciation for rhythm and it is the best tool for filmmakers. And most importantly, I learned to trust my vision and not doubt myself without clear evidence of the problem.

Creatively, I discovered the importance of a balance between work and life. A healthy life fuels creativity, not just for me as director, but for the whole team.

Can you explain how you developed a visual approach to cinema - why did you settle for this style/technique-

I wanted to feel familiar and clear about the film's appearance. Given that the story is dark and adult-oriented, I thought the familiar mainstream cg style was effective at challenging the expectations of the audience. I've always admired Mehdi Alibeygi's character design, so after finishing the script, I started designing the character under his influence. For the set, I aimed for a more realistic look – not overly, but because I didn't want the character to feel out of place. The core idea was that the boy himself was out of place, so I used more stylized characters in the most stylized boy, while the set was more realistic and massive. The harsh environment visually reinforces the fact that this is not a place for children, and the boy is struggling to reach or fit into something.