Watering Plastic Flowers
Director: Kathy Kiany
Cast:Arash Khakpour, Anita Zanganeh, Kathy Kiany, Hamidreza Jadid
Crew:Writer: Kathy Kiany. Producer: Kathy Kiany, Neekoo Arts & Culture Society
Email:kathy.kiany@gmail.com
Web:kathykiany.com
Synopsis
This short animation follows a nine-year-old girl from a religious Middle Eastern family. In a conversation with her brother, who prides himself on his masculine power, she realizes her new jurisprudential duties as she reaches the age of ‘religious puberty.’ These duties include preparing for marriage and wearing the obligatory hijab.
A vibrant child with big dreams for her future, she finds these rules conflicting with her aspirations, becoming incredibly irritated and furious. Seeking support, she turns to her mother. However, her mother, once a victim of the same rigid rules, feels powerless and unable to help.
Trailer
About the director
Kathy Kiany is an Iranian-Canadian filmmaker, animation director, and visual artist whose work blends poetic storytelling with evocative visuals, often exploring the inner worlds of women and themes of displacement, identity, and imagination. Originally from Tehran, Iran, Kathy immigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 2015, a transformative move that continues to shape her creative voice.
With a strong foundation in Cinema Production Design and Visual Arts, Kathy has worked for over 11 years across television, film, advertising, and independent animation. Her storytelling is marked by emotional depth, metaphor, and a dedication to illuminating hidden struggles, especially those faced by women and girls in restrictive environments. Her acclaimed short animation “Second Home” won Best Animation awards at the Berlin, Chicago, and Vancouver film festivals, and was nominated for a Leo Award in Vancouver in 2019. The film reflects on themes of memory, migration, and belonging, drawn in part from her own experience of immigration.
Her latest short animation, “Watering Plastic Flowers”, is currently is in competition at numerous international film festivals. Set in a quiet corner of the Middle East, the film follows a spirited nine-year-old girl who dares to dream beyond the confines of hijab and early marriage. As she begins to question the rules that bind her, she turns to her mother only to find a woman silenced by the same chains, unable to break the cycle they both endure.
Now based in Vancouver’s West End, Kathy continues to develop emotionally resonant animated stories, collaborate on film productions, and share her love of animation with young artists.