The director died June 4th 2026 in Paris at the age of 56; her husband, producer and actor Mattias Ripa, had died just over a year earlier. The family stated that “Marjane Satrapi died of grief, just over a year after the passing of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life.” “Persepolis” is based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by Marjane Satrapi. In 1979, eight-year-old Marjane experiences the consequences of the Iranian Revolution firsthand. The Shah is ousted, but contrary to hopes, a republic is not established. Instead, the mullahs seize power in Iran. Marjane's family, which had just moments before been on the side of the revolutionaries, is mercilessly oppressed by the new rulers. The Islamization of the state advances inexorably. Anyone who resists ends up in prison. Women suffer most from the revolution; they are no longer allowed to leave the house without a headscarf. As a teenager, Marjane rebels in her own way, with rock music and sassy remarks. To protect her from worse fates, Marjane is sent by her mother to Vienna, where she ends up at a Catholic boarding school. She soon immerses herself in the local subculture. But her Iranian homeland never lets her go. For Marjane, it is certain that one day she will return...
