Bradley Weir
Every year, one of the highlights of the awards season is the discovery of beautifully crafted short films. Whether it be Live Action, Documentary or Animated, so many of the year’s most poignant and impactful stories can be found in under twenty minutes.
Right at the top of the pile, this year regarding short films is The Musician, a stunningly produced animated film that tells the story of a couple in ancient Persia who – after being tragically separated in their early years – meet each other again in their old age by chance.
Directed by Iranian filmmaker Reza Riahi – who previously worked as an art director on The Breadwinner – creates a film with a unique visual style. It blends paper cut-out stop motion with shadow puppet techniques and the result is breath-taking.
The short deals with a variety of topics including women’s rights, war and growing old. It’s impressive how Riahi and his team can explore all these in its sub-15-minute runtime. The attention surrounding The Musician has led to a multitude of awards and festivals appearances already on this circuit, notably winning Tribeca’s Animated Short prize back in June.
MTV Entertainment Studios are serving as the distributors of the short film and will be available through the Paramount + Streaming Service.
To give an insight into the wonderful creative process of The Musician, MTV Entertainment Studios have released an ‘Anatomy of a Scene’ featurette on their YouTube channel. The short clip includes narration and a dive into how The Musician has been crafted and gives audiences a chance to check out the design and the delicately composed characters.
The Animated Short category is often full of hidden gems that are well worth a watch for audiences, and it seems one of those gems has already emerged. It’s worth getting familiar with one of the year’s top contenders and checking out the exclusive featurette below.
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