Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini, two Iranian films which defy state censorship and expose the crimes of the Islamic State begin their European rollouts in cinemas. They remind us how fortunate we are to have filmmakers who dare to challenge oppression, misogyny and tyranny. Two years after a massive protest movement erupted in Iran following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained for allegedly violating the dress code for women, mass executions and the violent repression of women continues in Iran.
But so do protests, even if currently limited and methodically crushed by the government. Only on Sunday, 34 female political prisoners went on hunger strike in Teheran’s Evin Prison to mark the tragic anniversary. Opponents of Iran’s clerical authorities hoped that the protest movements would be a turning point, and the country’s artistic output, while heavily subjected to censorship, shows that they have left an indelible mark.
Euronews Culture delves into two Iranian films that start their theatrical rollouts in Europe and which dare to expose and defy the crimes of the Islamic State in Iran. The first is by Iranian directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, which premiered at this year’s Berlinale. The filmmakers behind 2021’s emotionally devastating were not in attendance for the grand opening of their film in Berlin, as they were by Iranian authorities and had their passports confiscated, facing a court trial in relatio.