Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French graphic novelist and filmmaker behind the Oscar-nominated animated feature Persepolis, has died at 56, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Her family's statement revealed she passed away a little over a year after the death of her husband, producer-actor-screenwriter Mattias Ripa, whom they described as "the love of her life." Satrapi herself shared this devotion in a series of Instagram posts.
Born in Rasht, Iran on November 22, 1969, Satrapi was sent to Austria at age 14 to escape the Ayatollah's violent Islamic Republic. She eventually settled in Paris in 1994, where she published the four-volume Persepolis graphic novels between 2000 and 2003.
The novels became an instant sensation. They ranked Number 10 on Rolling Stone's list of 50 Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels, praised for telling an "excellent coming-of-age tale set in a place most Westerners know precious little about." The English editions arrived in 2003-04.
In 2007, Satrapi co-directed and co-wrote the animated film adaptation with Vincent Paronnaud. Critic Peter Travers called it "a mindblower." The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes (tied with Silent Light) and received nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and two BAFTAs.
Iran's government attempted to get the film banned from the Bangkok International Film Festival.
Satrapi continued creating throughout her career, including Chicken With Plums (which won the Angoulême Best Comic Book Award in 2005), plus films like Radioactive and Dear Paris. Her 2023 graphic novel Women, Life, Freedom addressed the Mahsa Amini protests.
