Imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi (whom I have written about ad nauseum on my site, and hosted the Iranian Film Blogathon in his honor last year) and his colleague Mojtaba Mirtahmasb (imprisoned on September 17 of this year) shot This Is Not a Film on Panahi’s iPhone and Mirtahmasb’s camera during one day when Panahi was waiting for his verdict to come down.
The film was smuggled into France inside a cake in order to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. These are dangerous times. This is literally the most important thing happening in the world of film right now.
My review of this shattering film is now up at Capital New York.
I wrote about your review on my blog. One thing worries me. Will he be made to suffer in prison because of this movie? Will they see that he has somehow made a film against their directives and seek to punish him? Has there been any word on his condition lately?
Since I reviewed Offside, I became a huge fan. On this night when a genius has died, I pray that Jeffar Panahi is safe and secure, and of course I wish for him his freedom.
He probably will be tortured. He was tortured during his brief stay in prison in 2010. And “they” know everything that is going on, which is why stopped Mirtahmasb from traveling to Toronto, and why they imprisoned him as well. When the film arrived at Cannes this year – it was a surprise to everyone. The crackdowns on filmmakers and actors has been relentless in the last year – Jafar Panahi is just one in a long line of many. But thank goodness for his celebrity – because we actually do know a lot of what is going on there. I “follow” him on FB, and it is really just an alert system for what is happening in Iran, and all of the people who have been either detained, arrested, or disappeared. I think Panahi knew the risks and took them anyway. They have taken away his livelihood, his life, his voice. I am sure he felt it was worth it.
The man is a hero. But yes, I think about him and worry about him every day.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but I guess the film must have happened on “Fireworks Wednesday”, which is a few days before Nowruz. This day is very interesting in the sense that in recent years, from a calm peaceful traditional ceremony it has turned into a very violent dangerous custom among the youth, and yet almost all young people (at least males) participate in it. From sociological point of view, some consider it as a kind of rebellion against the pressure imposed by the government on the youth. But whatever it is, the way both Farhadi and (seemingly) Panahi metaphorically used it in their films for depicting insecurity in the society is very interesting.
This can’t go on, you know. Societies like this can’t live forever. They can’t just keep silencing their critics, their artists, their unruly film makers. I don’t know how it will happen that the authoritarian societies like Iran will finally collapse, but I can not help but think Jafar will be part of the reason.
I shudder to think of him being tortured. I will find him on FB. I feel invested in his well being and invested in his wonderful films.
Siavash – yes, I did think that was a fascinating element, utilized in the ambiguity: it sounds like gunfire. It goes through the whole film. Some gorgeous shots of Tehran with the fireworks going off. Asghar Farhadi’s Fireworks Wednesday, which we already discussed, definitely has the controversial nature of that holiday as a subtext.
Hope you get to see This Is Not a Film soon.
Cara: Yes, yes, it cannot last.
Throughout history, tyranny always falls. Always. Rarely when we want it to, and almost never when it is most urgent. But yes: the crackdowns are evidence that the powers-that-be are totally losing control. Flowers of Evil, my favorite film I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival, was about the rioting in 2009, and all the protests, as seen by a young Tehrani woman sent to Paris by her parents to keep her safe. She keeps in touch through Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube videos. My review here. Iranians are incredibly technically savvy. They are a modern nation. What is going on now is definitely a losing battle – but it’s certainly cold comfort when so many people are in jail.