Between GKIDS and Netflix, it may seem that most foreign animated features are getting releases nowadays, but that’s hardly the case. There are plenty of fine animated films that still lack distribution in the States. That’s where the new LAAF label comes in.
LAAF is the newly launched distribution label of the Los Angeles Animation Festival, and to start, they’re releasing two recent features that exhibit sharp curatorial tastes: The Last Fiction from Iran and SHe from China.
The Last Fiction is a 2d historical action-adventure based on a chapter of the Shahnameh, Iran’s millennium-old national epic. Directed by Ashkan Rahgozar, it tells the story of Kaveh, a blacksmith who leads a revolt to destroy the devil that has appeared in a prince’s soul. Targeted at teens and adults, The Last Fiction recently became the first film from Iran to qualify for the Best Animated Feature category of the Oscars.
