VASHTI is a music video made for longtime collaborator and composer Lanny Meyers, who used the poem by Frances E.W. Harper (1825-1911) for lyrics.
It tells the story of Vashti, the Queen of Persia, the first wife of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), who loses her position when she refuses to appear at a drunken council meeting wearing only her crown and nothing else.
Her act of feminist resistance is echoed through the ages in the video, culminating with the #MeToo movement of 2018.
When Lanny asked me who my favorite Biblical heroine was, I answered Vashti!
She is in the opening of the Purim Megillah, the first queen of Persia who was banished (or killed?) by King Ahasuerus because she wouldn’t appear naked in front of his drunken cabinet. This led to the king's search for a new queen, finding the young virgin, Esther, who becomes the hero of the rest of the story of Purim-- she exposes the wicked Haman, risking her own life and saving the Jews.
If ever there was a good story for the #metoo movement of the 2018’s!
This video gave me the opportunity of working with animation director, Leon Joosen, a former Disney animator. His friendship led to him to work out of Buzzco’s studio space on his own projects. His design style, very different from my own, gave me an opportunity to try it out and hopefully lead to future projects!
Designed and written by Candy Kugel
Based on drawings by Leon Joosen
Poem by Frances E.W. Harper
Music by Lanny Meyers
Vocals by Simone Wells
Directed and animated by Candy Kugel
Produced by Buzzco Associates
©2018 Buzzco Assocaites, inc.
