Director Jafar Panahi on Deadly Iran Protests & Filmmaking Under Censorship

Jafar Panahi asserts that the Iranian regime's brutal response to the ongoing protests, characterized by an 'unprecedented' number of killings and a complete internet shutdown, signals its terminal desperation. He notes that the regime has lost all rationality, with no individuals left to prioritize the country's future over clinging to power, leading to a 'bloodbath' that was predicted by activists after the internet went dark.

Panahi states, 'When they shut down the internet followed by the protests of the people we issued a statement saying that the complete shutdown of the internet and telecommunications will end in a massacre. But we never imagined the massacre to be in such dimensions and for there to be a bloodbath. From this you can understand that the regime knows it has reached the end.'

The current, widespread protests in Iran are not sudden but a culmination of 47 years of ignored civil and economic demands. Panahi explains that people have consistently pushed for change, and the 'women life freedom movement' has enabled them to cross previously 'unimaginable red lines,' uniting diverse segments of society against the regime.

Panahi explains, 'It has been about 47 years that people have had demands and the state has only met them in one way. They've had civil demands they've had economic demands... And now all those civil demands and economic demands have been combined and intertwined and they have brought people together from all echelons of the society and this is why the protests are so widespread.'

Facing a 20-year ban on filmmaking, writing, and travel, Panahi innovated underground methods to continue his art. He describes creating films like 'This Is Not a Film' and 'Taxi' (where he hid a camera in his cab) as direct responses to censorship. This approach not only allowed him to work but also inspired a new generation of Iranian filmmakers, making underground cinema the 'norm' and source of the 'best films' in Iran.

Panahi recounts, 'Because they had told me that I'm not allowed to make films I made a film and I said this is not a film... I'm going to hide a camera in my car and I'm going to make the stories of my passengers. And this became the film taxi. And when it became successful those students would no longer complain to me that they cannot work. They too started looking for solutions.'

Panahi uses his platform to call on global artists and governments to speak out against the human catastrophe in Iran, emphasizing that cinema has the power to stand with defenseless people. He expresses concern about the cycle of violence continuing post-regime collapse, advocating for a future of peace and humanistic rights for Iranian children, free from bullets.

Panahi states, 'I consider it my duty to call on artists and members of the global film community to speak out and not remain silent. Use any voice and any platform you have. Call your governments... Do not let blood dry in the darkness of amnesia.' He adds, 'I want there to be peace and I want our children and the children of our children to not be facing bullets.'