The Independent Iranian Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) has praised a shift in filmmaking in Iran towards “defying censorship laws” and “pushing boundaries”, in a statement marking the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in late 2022.
“Mahsa Amini’s story is one example of the countless women who have been murdered, silenced, and oppressed by the Iranian government,” wrote IIFMA.
“However, her death was not in vain, as it galvanized a new generation of activists to stand up against injustice and demand freedom. Mahsa has become a symbol of resistance, inspiring others to join the fight for gender equality and freedom,” continued the statement.
IIFMA was created in 2023 in the wake of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement to represent Iranian filmmakers not affiliated with their country’s hardline Islamic Republic government. Most of its members are living in exile.
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Twenty-two-year-old Amini died on September 16, 2022, three days after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police and taken into custody for not wearing her hijab correctly.
Authorities said she had suffered a heart attack. Eyewitnesses, including women who were detained with Amini, said she had been badly beaten, with leaked scans revealing injuries to her body and head.
News of the manner of Amini’s death sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom protests across Iran, calling for greater gender equality and more democracy in general.
Prominent cultural, media and sporting figures also spoke up, while a number of female celebrities defiantly posted images or appeared in public without their headscarves
Iran’s draconian government has reacted to the uprising with a series of harsh crackdowns. At least 550 protestors have been killed and more than 19,000 people imprisoned, according to estimates by human rights orgs.
But while the large-scale street protests of late 2022 to early 2023 have dissipated, IIFMA said the spirit of the movement was still alive in Iran, and suggested this could be seen within the indie film industry.
“The courage of individuals resisting the oppression of Iran’s Islamic regime has also resulted in a notable shift in the filmmaking industry in Iran, particularly in independent filmmaking,” said IIFMA. “Filmmakers have begun defying censorship laws and pushing boundaries to shed light on the harsh realities faced by Iranians, especially women and other minorities in the country.”
The body did not mention specific films or filmmakers for fear of reprisals from the regime against these individuals but signaled its support for these professionals.
“Through their art, they are challenging societal norms and advocating for a change. Independent filmmakers are sparking important conversations and raising awareness about issues that have long been swept under the rug,” it said.
IIFMA’s statement comes amid street demonstrations in cities across the world over the past few days commemorating Amini’s death and reiterating the struggle for women’s rights in Iran
Public commemorations have been mooted in Iran, but it was reported on Sunday that 34 women prisoners led by jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi had gone on hunger strike to mark the anniversary.
French newspaper Liberation commemorated the anniversary with a cover interview with Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who dramatically fled Iran in April in the face of a harsh prison and flogging sentence, and actress Golshifteh Farahani, who has been living in exile for 16 years.
Both suggested, that in spite of the harsh government crackdowns, a generational change was in the air. Farahani suggested today’s youngsters were different from her generation, which was born in the 1980s and grew up in the immediate aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“The generations after us and Generation Z in particular don’t know any of this,” she said. “They have another make-up, another texture, and they’re pushing for change, as if they were armed with a battering ram, they want to open the doors of this country. Many people have died from it, others are in exile, and this young generation continues to push.”
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