“Shahrazad, Eastern Girl,” a screenplay that became a book / Production of animation adaptation for international release
The 15-volume series “Shahrazad, Eastern Girl,” led by Mohammad Reza Sarshar (Reza Rahgozar) and created by a group of female authors, was published by Behnashr Publications.
Sarshar noted in an interview with IBNA that the idea originated from an engaging animation screenplay by the same group. They believed the core story of the screenplay was strong enough to become a long, adventurous story for children and teenagers. This path, contrary to the usual process of adapting books into films, was a creative and successful test.
Creating Shahrazad’s mysterious and colorful world
He continued: This long story narrates the adventures of an Iranian family (Shahrazad) who lose their ship during a sea voyage after a mysterious event, becoming stranded on “Fish Island,” which resembles a fish from above. The island is inhabited by people of various nationalities and continents (European, American, Native American, Japanese, Pakistani, Arab, etc.), and there is no escape.
Sarshar considered this project different from usual works and the result of a creative and reverse path from screenplay to book. He stated: We brought together creative female authors to transform a strong visual idea into a continuous written story. In our country, the process is usually reversed, but we took the more difficult and courageous path.
End of Shahrazad’s journey with “Fireflies”
Sarshar, who previously led group series like “Children of Golha Building” and “Tales of Uncle Rahman,” stated: This collection includes a single, integrated long story. The story begins with the first volume titled “Fish Island” and concludes in the fifteenth volume “Fireflies.” Each volume narrates a part of the continuous adventures of the “Shahrazad” family and the island’s residents.
Female authors and integrated illustration
He mentioned that each volume of this series is offered in 124 to 128 pages in short Quarto format. To maintain visual unity, Ehsan Soleimani was responsible for the realistic and full-color illustration of the series. The cover design was done by Hamideh Soleimani. The effort to maintain consistency with a single illustrator contributed to the prolonged production process.
Sarshar added: All authors of this series are female writers, including Shirin Hamzeh, Fatemeh Fadaei, Masoumeh Arabkhani, Marzieh Shakeri, Azadeh Bahrami, Shideh Bahrami, Soheila Sardari, Roghieh Zakeri, Roghieh Mehri, and others.
Future plan: Animation named “Shirin, Eastern Girl”
Sarshar announced the production of “Shahrazad, Eastern Girl” as an animation. He said 20 episodes of the animation have been produced, and it is planned to continue to 52 episodes. This animation is set to air on the Children’s Network. For international distribution, the animation’s name has been changed to “Shirin, Eastern Girl” and prepared with Arabic and English subtitles, aiming to introduce more children and teenagers in the region to the work.
The veteran author and storyteller concluded by expressing hope: “Shahrazad, Eastern Girl” is not just a book series; it is the fruit of belief, patience, and teamwork. This work shows that with cultural and artistic principles intact, one can create works that are attractive, exciting, and meaningful for today’s teenagers. I hope this adventurous journey finds its way into the homes of all curious children in Iran.
