Persepolis 2.0: Iran poll inspires sequel

The Iranian authorities hated Persepolis. While it charmed western film critics, audiences and the Cannes film festival jury, one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's advisers said the distinctive black and white cartoon "presented an unrealistic picture of the achievements of the glorious Islamic revolution".

Ahmadinejad and his cronies will probably be even more infuriated by the update to the cartoon: Persepolis 2.0. The latest version depicts the excitement surrounding the June 12 election, outrage at the result, street protests, the role of Twitter in the unrest, and the death of Neda Agha Soltan.

The new cartoon was the initiative of two Iranian exiles called Sina and Payman, who have put together a website called Spread Persepolis to promote the project. It was made with permission of the publishers of Marjane Satrapi's original cartoon on which the film was based.

Sina said the updated cartoon was intended to show how history was repeating itself in Iran.

"The reaction to Persepolis 2.0 has been great," he wrote in an email. "We've had visitors from 120 countries thus far, and a large volume of emails from people asking how they can help support Iranians.

"This has really infused us with energy, and we're now working on additional ways to help get the word out."

He added: "I've read some comments online from people angry that we 'ruined' Satrapi's work or unhappy with the poor quality of the copy. Their opinions are valid, but our point was just to get people to discuss Iran so that it didn't slip back into collective obscurity.

"Her cartoon are about her life but to my generation of Iranians (at least in the West) they have become more than that, they have become iconic. The fact that images from 30 years ago can tell a story about what is happening now makes them all the more powerful.

"Unlike her original work, Persepolis 2.0 is filled with flaws and inaccuracies, but the bottom line is that it has helped spark hundreds of conversations and that's more than we could have expected."