The Academy Award-nominated animated feature Persepolis from filmmakers Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud is coming this summer to DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Following a limited North American theatrical engagement, the critically acclaimed French toon will be released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on June 24. Bonus features will include cast and crew commentary on select scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Persepolis is based on Satrapi’s internationally best-selling and award-winning graphic novel autobiography, which chronicles her coming of age in Iran during the Islamic revolution of the 1970s and ’80s. The film won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. In addition to winning the Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review, the pic was named Best Animated Feature by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Online Film Critics.
The DVD will include the original French-language version with English subtitles, as well as a dubbed English version featuring the voices of Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands and Iggy Pop. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette titled The Hidden Side of Persepolis; a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the English-language version; audio commentary by Satrapi, Paronnaud and actress Chiara Mastoianni on select scenes; animated scene comparisons with commentary by Satrapi; and video of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival press conference Q&A with the cast and crew. The release will carry a suggested retail price of $38.96 for Blu- ray and $29.95 for DVD.
