And Granny Would Dance – online
After a successful festival run, we are pleased to now share Maryam Mohajer’s multi-award winning animated short, And Granny Would Dance, online.
Marmar listens to the stories told by her grandmother’s friends as they play an illicit game of cards. Based on childhood memories and shared stories, And Granny Would Dance is a tale of love, grief and resilience.
Maryam Mohajer said:
“Women, specifically Iranian women, have always been a big part of my inspiration; put a group of Iranian women in a room and something happens instantly. It can be magical. Similar to what we experienced through our voice recording session for this film – a group of Iranian women, mostly strangers were put inside the recording studio and within minutes, our worries of whether there would be a connection between these strangers was replaced by the worry of “will these ladies be able to rest their voices at all during breaks?” That day we laughed together, we sang, we danced and we cried together.”
Over the past two years the film has screened more than 60 times and has been presented with twelve awards, including the Grand Prize for Best Short Animation at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 2024, Best Short Animation Audience Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest 2024, Best of Festival at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024, Best British Short Animation at Manchester Animation Festival 2024, Best European Animation at Go Short Festival 2025, and Best Short Film at Cardiff Animation Festival 2026.
Thanks to our cast and crew:
Writer, Director and Animator: Maryam Mohajer @maryam_mohajervapesaran
Voice artists: Soussan Farokhnia, Maral Mohammadi, Maryam Davary, Farzaneh Yazdandoost, Saba Yazdani and Lila
Animators: Matilde Senos, Sofia Negri
Editor: Anna Dick
Composer: Tanera Dawkins
Musicians: Mark Bousie, Parham Bahadoran @amoobooghi and Tanera Dawkins
Post Production Sound Service: Fonic
Sound Supervisor: Barnaby Templer
Audio Post Production Producer: Eugénie Dunster
Re-recording Mixer: Christopher Swaine
Sound Editor: Rory Hunter
Sound Assistant: Stephen Maxwell
Foley Artist: Sue Harding
Producer: Abigail Addison
Assistant Producer: Adriana Scalisi
Executive Producer: Gary Thomas
Production Coordinators: Katie Saunders, Elena Garcia Sirvent
For BFI: Production Consultant – Helen Brunsdon, Executive Producer – Natascha Wharton, Script Consultant – Marilyn Milgrom, Production Manager – Charley Fox, Head of Production Finance – Ian Kirk and Business Affairs Manager – Vicky Skea
And Granny Would Dance is a film by Maryam Mohajer, produced by Animate Projects, with the support of the BFI @bfinetwork, awarding funds from the National Lottery.