Poster for The Sprayer, AFIN 2022

Animated Film AFIN 155

The Sprayer

AFIN 2022 Winner

  • 2022
  • 9m
  • Iran
  • No Dialogue
Student Film
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Stills

1 frame

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Credits

Synopsis

In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how dose a plant grows or look like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary

A Note from the Filmmakers

The Sprayer is the story of a dystopian city where it is forbidden to grow any kind of flowers and plants, and the army of sprayers protect this ban with quasi-robot clothes, suppress and arrest people who violate it, and destroy plants with their special gas, but in At this time, one of these soldiers changes his path from destruction to protection by getting to know some saplings through a little boy. When this idea came to my mind 12 years ago, it seemed a bit far-fetched and strange and pessimistic that one day there would be such hostility towards the existence of plants. But today, in 2022, after events such as the pandemic, drying up of rivers, climate change, and the destruction of forests, etc., unfortunately, this horrible event is becoming more and more like a reality. Of course, with all the blackness and pessimism in the movie, I think even destroying the plant is more bitter than burning the book At the end of the film, with the scene of a plant sprouting at the foot of the statue of the sprayer leader, one can hope that maybe there is still a path to salvation and hope, even though it is small! There are people who are trying to save lives, but the sprayers are also serious about destruction! Hoping for a world full of peace for all living beings on the planet

What makes this one special

  • A student film

From the Judges

From the Judges

A vintage, hand-crafted look carries this imaginative stop-motion and CG animation, its period styling and wardrobe giving the whole short a distinctive texture. Told without dialogue, it lands a poignant story about life and nature breaking through, and the panel found the animation genuinely original and beautifully realised. Well worth a screen.

Curated, anonymised highlights drawn from the judges' notes.

Director's Biography

Mohammad Ghaffari was born in 2001 in Tehran, Iran. He graduated in Theater and has been involved in: 2018 - MALAKOUT (as DOP and Post Production) 2022 - THE SPRAYER (as DOP and Post Production) 2025 - HOLY HEAVÊNESS (as Co-director) 2026 - In the Season of the Whales’ Cry (as Co-director) He has also been working for 2 years as an AI Video Team Lead Supervisor at Iran Novin, one of the largest commercial production companies in the Middle East, and has produced more than 600 minutes of commercial advertising content. Farnoosh was born in 1985 in Isfahan, Iran. He graduated in Theater and has directed over 20 short animated films, TV series, documentaries, and one feature-length animated film. His works have been presented and screened at over 1,000 national and international film festivals, earning more than 330 awards. Selected festivals include: Tehran International Animation Festival, Tehran International Short Film Festival, Busan Korea, Tirana Albania, Cine Quest, Seattle USA, 2 times Odense Denmark, Rhode Island USA, 2 times Cinanima Portugal, Bucheon Korea, Raindance England, Guadalajara Mexico, Hiroshima Japan, 2 times In the Palace Bulgaria, Animfest Romania, Animator Poland, 2 times St Louis, 2 times Florida, deadCenter and Santa Barbara USA, Izmir Turkey, Bengaluru India, Show Me Short New Zealand, 2 times Los Angeles Asia Pacific USA, Austin Texas USA, USA Film Festival, San Luis Obispo USA, Fribourg Switzerland, Chilemonos Chile, Drama Greece, Short Short Asia, Alexandria Short and... He has also conducted masterclasses and served as a jury member at prestigious events, including: ℹ️Celebration of Iranian Cinema 2018 ℹ️Tehran International Animation Festival Iran 2020 ℹ️Cryptshow Film Festival Spain 2021 ℹ️Red Rock Film Festival Utah USA 2023 ℹ️Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival NY USA 2023 ℹ️ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival Paris France 2024 ℹ️Standing Rock Film Festival Oh USA 2024 ℹ️Tehran International Animation Festival Iran 2024 ℹ️Voronezh International Animation Festival Russia 2024 ℹ️SydFest Independent Film Festival NSW Australia 2024 ℹ️Nahal international Short Film Festival Tehran Iran 2024 ℹ️Tehran International Short Film Festival Iran 2024

Trailer

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The Sprayer was Winner of Best Animated Film at the AFIN International Film Festival 2022, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.

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