Meet the Woman Behind 'Persepolis'

"If you asked me this question two weeks ago, I would have told you, 'We are nominated, it's great, I've already won, et cetera et cetera,'" she said. "But to tell you the truth, now I am here, now I want to win."

Though she admits she already has, in a case of life imitating art. On the Iranian black market, where Satrapi used to buy contraband American rock 'n' roll, her movie is now available.

"The value of the family in the Iranian culture has a very big value," she said, "and this movie is also a love letter that not only I send to Iran but also to my family, but also to all who believe in humanity."