PARIS (Dispatches) -- In the winter twilight of Paris, where ancient stories find new wings, shadows dance on walls, telling tales millennia old.
Here, in the city of lights, Hamid Rahmanian’s shadow play of “Bijan and Manijeh” transforms Ferdowsi’s immortal verses into living breath.
As many as 483 puppets move through the air, their shadows painting tales of love and redemption across 208 shifting backgrounds. Nine actors breathe life into these paper souls.
For Rahmanian, the play represents the culmination of a 17-year journey through the forests of Persian mythology.
From puppet books to symphonic orchestras, he has wandered the paths of the Shahnameh, searching for ways to build bridges between cultures.
This shadow play, three years in the making, stands as his most ambitious crossing yet.
In an interview, Rahmanian said that creating the Bijan and Manijeh shadow play involved many challenges, including updating the story for modern audiences and handling technical issues.
He says that the project is not just artistic but also cultural.
Rahmanian, an artist, filmmaker, and director of this shadow theater production, had an active artistic career in Iran.
Rahmanian explains how migration shifted his focus to producing cultural content about Iran.
He said, “My work was in graphic design and filmmaking, but when you migrate, you feel the need to create a shield and shift attention from politics to culture. Everyone talks, but creating content is what matters.”
He added, “How much do our slogans abroad impact people inside Iran? We’ve had 43 years of migration history, but how much content have we created for our host countries? We need to produce works that convey the beauty, depth, and language of our heritage to both the new generation of Iranians and Western audiences.”
As Rahmanian said, discussions about Iran in the West often revolve around politics.
“I wanted to step away from that narrative and focus on cultural storytelling, though even cultural work has an undercurrent of resistance. The Shahnameh itself is an act of defiance - a book that remains in talk with us Iranians to this day.”
In an age where digital technology permeates every aspect of life, Rahmanian’s shadow theater relies heavily on analog techniques.
One key innovation in the performance is its live shadow puppetry. Audiences sit before a screen, while behind it, actors bring the story to life with puppets and projectors.
In many venues, the curtain rises after the performance, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse.
However, in Paris, spectators are invited upstairs to learn about the production techniques and tools used.
According to Rahmanian and the production team, the audience for this play is predominantly non-Iranian.
Muhammad Talani, a musician and stage manager for the performance, said, “These techniques didn’t exist before. We use two projectors - one for the ongoing scene and another where actors prepare for the next.
“Figuring out how to integrate this with computers was our first challenge. But during the performance, it’s mostly automated now. The real challenge lies with the actors.”
One of the performers, Harrison Green, who plays Gorgin, elaborates on the physical demands of the show.
Actors are in constant motion, maneuvering puppets on the floor and acting in front of projectors.
Green says, “I love it. Everyone gets along so well, and we really believe in the work that we are doing.”
Why does an artist dedicate their life to sharing Iranian culture with a different world? Rahmanian could have, like many migrants of various nationalities across the globe, built a different life. Yet, for him, migration took on another meaning.
Rahmanian speaks of social responsibility - a drive to bring Iranian culture to the Western world.
“I feel a social responsibility on my shoulders. I live in America, where Turks, Arabs, and Jews have cultural support. Culture is built with money, but unfortunately, Iran lacks this, leaving people like me to take on the duty.
“What holds us together as Iranians is our culture, art, and language—not governments, which come and go. In this play, whether you are a child or elderly, there are lessons to be learned - like the theme of forgiveness in the story of Bijan and Manijeh.”
Rahmanian refers to the Shahnameh story’s conclusion, where Bijan is only saved by Rostam’s help if he can forgive, thereby earning the title of “hero.”