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Jila Nikpay is an Iranian-American filmmaker whose work explores the relationship between the identity and power. An award winning filmmaker, she has produced nine short films, Happy Republic (2015), Divided (2014), Ways of Becoming (2013), Hour of the Dark (2011), In Waiting (2008), Labyrinth (2007), Rhythm of Tides (2007), Keepers of the Garden (2004), Shroud and Torrent (2003), funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board, Jerome Foundation, IFP/Minnesota, and the Puffin Foundation. Her films have been screened at the Walker Art Center and various international film festivals as well as broadcast on Public Television in the US.

 

To see more of her work visit: jilanikpay.com

 

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Happy Republic is set in the pseudo democratic republic of Usyria where the lives of its citizens are being subjected to a brand of soft tyranny.  The main characters psychological dilemma lies in the fact that she is simultaneously an agent of the system but incapable of adjusting to its inverted moral codes. Happy Republic reflects a contemporary world where democratic ideals are in decline and various forms of tyranny are rising to the surface. In conceiving this work, I was inspired by the urban landscape of Syracuse in central New York where the film was shot. The city’s neglected yet beautiful old buildings and factories evoke a haunting and melancholic mood reminiscent of fallen cities of the ancient worlds.

Director's statement

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