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Seyed Vahid Olyaee (born April 23, 1979) is a multi award winning art advisor, producer, linguist, script doctor and musician. Olyaee is the oldest of four children, born to a father who is a mechanical engineer and veteran calligrapher, and a mother who is a housewife. Due to his father's job, Olyaee moved frequently during his childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than ten different places.
Seyed is an honorific title denoting people accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his cousin Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib through his grandsons, Hasan and Hosein, sons of Muhammad's lofty daughter Fatimah and son in law Ali. Seyed is the equivalent of the English word "liege lord", "Commander" or "master". Many Arabic linguists state that Seyed has its roots in the word Al Asad, meaning lion, probably because of the qualities of valor, great courage and leadership.
As a child, Olyaee faced many hardships due to the outbreak of a devastating war in his homeland, Iran. Reflecting on his childhood, Olyaee has said: "Though the childhood period of my generation was ripped apart and completely destroyed by war, I do remember the peaceful times when my dad would play one of his old cassette tapes, recite a poem from Hafez, carve his reed, and create eye-catching pieces of Persian calligraphy." He began learning Persian calligraphy under his father's guidance at the age of six. Inspired by his art-loving family, Olyaee developed a passion for Persian classical music at the age of eight and eventually convinced his father to let him learn two Persian stringed instruments, the Tar and Setar. He started learning the Setar under the renowned maestro Jalal Zolfonun while also attending maestro Mohsen Nafar's classes to learn the Tar. Alongside his musical studies, his interest in cinema and literature led him to participate in scriptwriting, literature, cinema, and art research courses, as well as major in English interpretation, linguistics, and media production.
Since then, he has worked on many award-winning projects, including live-action and animated feature films, TV series, documentaries, conceptual art, and stage performances. His latest feature animation film, Release From Heaven, is a mixed-technique animation that blurs the lines between imagination, storytelling, and reality. Set in a war-torn country, the film tells the story of a woman comic strip writer and teacher who accompanies two of her students on a life-changing journey. "From the very early days of the project, we faced numerous challenges unrelated to production. The biggest issue was the dress code. The authorities were concerned because the film's main character is shown not wearing a hijab," said Olyaee. Release From Heaven premiered on May 22, 2107, during the Cannes Film Festival and won the 'Animation that Matters' award at Animation Day in Cannes. It has since won over 25 awards.
Olyaee has conducted numerous workshops on storytelling, story editing, pitching, and the art of writing dialogue. "All forms of art, from the earliest cave paintings to the most avant-garde and modern works, share a single vision and mission: storytelling. That's it. Your work of art cannot be inspiring, enduring, touching, soothing, or thought-provoking unless it tells a story," Olyaee has said. He also noted, "I come from a culture rich in literature and storytelling. Look at legendary figures like Rumi, Ferdowsi, Attar, Nizami, and Saadi-they have all created mesmerizing worlds through storytelling. Even the teachings of all religions and schools have been conveyed through storytelling."
