Day ۴ Report: Calm After the Storm!

The report from Day 4 of the Puyan Festival tells the story of a quiet yet deeply meaningful day. Tuesday, 11 Azar, the fourth day of the Puyan Student Animation Festival, followed Monday’s unprecedented bustle by offering a chance to shift the main focus toward technical discussions, storytelling, and screenings of standout works — letting the quality of content take precedence over the size of the crowd.

Watching Heritage, Screening the Future

Day four’s activities centered mainly on film screenings. Audiences were able to explore a range of perspectives on animation across three separate segments:

• Tribute Screening: A segment paying respect to veteran masters, showcasing classic and influential works and connecting the young generation to the roots of their art form.
• International Screening: A showcase of works from around the world, accompanied in particular by Farrokh Yekdaneh, who hosted the specialized discussion sessions. This segment provided an opportunity for a deeper analysis of the works and an understanding of global narrative standards.
• Student Screening: A continuation of the screenings of selected student works, which remained the beating heart of the festival throughout.

The Digital Artist’s Path and the Directors’ Panel

The specialized segment of day four opened with two key sessions for young artists:

• The Digital Artist’s Path session: Alireza Moradi, an artist active in digital art and design, delivered a comprehensive session on how digital artists can navigate their career path in today’s world. The session offered practical guidance on turning talent into income and building a professional career in new digital spaces.
• Panel discussion with selected student directors: One of the day’s most practical segments was a direct conversation with the directing students whose works had been screened at the festival. In this panel, young creators shared the challenges, techniques, and behind-the-scenes stories of making their animations with the audience and their peers.

The Key to Storytelling: From “Dirin Dirin” to Series Production

One of the most engaging sessions was on storytelling: “The Narrative Session in Series Production,” featuring Ali Derakhshi, creator and director of the hugely popular animated series “Dirin Dirin.” Drawing on his unique experience producing short-form, comedic animated series, Derakhshi spoke about the importance of narrative structure in high-volume production. This session not only shed light on the technical aspects of producing a series, but also showed students how a simple idea, combined with the smart use of digital platforms, can turn into one of the most-watched works around. It once again proved that the smile of creativity, paired with compelling storytelling, can bring millions of viewers along with it.