'Jamshid; a lament for a myth' tells the story of Jamshid, a middle eastern ruler from the old times who was sent by the Creator to take care of his people, to rule them in a conscious manner and to protect them. Even though this is not an easy job, the story depicts him as being very well intended, caring and protective towards his subalterns. As it usually happens in myths, he encounters some resistance and problems from other forces that are trying to take over his people. He is brave enough to defend them to a certain extent, but his powers are not unlimited, and soon enough we will find him in a position that is not quite exquisite for a man of his status.
Moin Samadi's animation is both remarkable as a piece of cinematography and a boost of interesting information that we were not familiar with. The myths of the Middle East are always pleasant for Europeans, and as we see it, they happened to be revived lately in cinematography or in literature. From a technical point of view, this animation is utterly satisfying being one of the best animations we’ve had the chance to see in our festival. One thing we really appreciated was the brilliant technique of suggestion rather than deep, historical explanations. The third person approach was absolutely fantastic and permitted us to get involved into the story in a more particular manner than it could have been if this short animation was projected in first person. Also, the story, unknown in the beginning, made sense at the end even if we weren’t familiar with that myth in particular, thus making it easier for audiences of any kind to understand it in the same way the director did.
Being amazingly created, and so well documented, this short should be presented especially in public schools to younger audiences in order to raise their interest in other cultures and to open their minds to a new sphere that they never considered to be this fun and interesting.
Written by Vlad A. G