In celebration of Persian New Year, NFB releases Bahram Javahery’s Two Apples for free online streaming
Animated short film about the Iranian-Canadian immigrant experience offers reflections on cultural exchanges and homelands in time for Nowruz
Bahram Javahery’s Two Apples. Image from the film courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada presents Bahram Javahery’s Two Apples for free online streaming to mark Nowruz (Persian New Year) on March 19
NOWRUZ, OR PERSIAN NEW YEAR, is a celebration of the Northern Hemisphere’s first day of spring that dates back over 3,000 years.
In honour of the ancestral festival, the National Film Board of Canada is facilitating the free online streaming of Iranian Canadian filmmaker Bahram Javahery’s 2022 short Two Apples. In just over nine minutes, Javahery turns a hand-carved clay slab into an ultra-satisfying 2D-animated film that tells a moving account of immigration.
The story follows a young woman named Gina who makes the difficult choice to leave her homeland in pursuit of a fresh start. Upon her departure, she only brings one item along with her: a Sêva mêxekrêj, or Kurdish clove-studded apple, which symbolizes peace, love, and cultural exchange. But Gina soon faces tragedy in her new locale that beckons her home.
Bahram Javahery, writer, director, and animator of Two Apples. Photo by Yanina Sky
Gina’s story is one that rings true for many Iranian Canadians, including Javahery himself—he immigrated to Canada from Iran with his family in 2001. The filmmaker’s deep-rooted connection to his homeland is elegantly infused into Two Apples.
There’s an abundance of historical Iranian elements found in the film, which makes it a perfect watch for Nowruz. Take for example Javahery’s inclusion of a zoetrope (an ancient animation technique made by spinning a cylinder); his version is inspired by a 5,200-year-old earthenware goblet discovered in southeastern Iran during the 1970s with zoetrope-like images carved into it, a rare glimpse into animation’s early beginnings in the country.
While Two Apples can be viewed from home, there’s plenty of ways to celebrate the Persian New Year in person around Metro Vancouver, too. Consider checking out JW Marriott Parq Vancouver’s luxurious Nowruz Soirée with DJ Taba on March 23; Expansion of Iranian Culture Society’s dance-and-music Nowruz Celebration at the Kay Meek Arts Centre on March 24; and The Polygon Gallery’s Nowruz event featuring Persian vendors, bites, and performances on March 28.
Nowruz takes place in Vancouver this year on March 19 at precisely 8:06 pm, and festivities typically last 13 days. 
A behind-the-scenes shot of Bahram Javahery’s 3D character models, used in Two Apples to create 2D animation. Image from the film courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
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