Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran: Filmmakers Fight Against the Repression of the Islamic Republic

The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran (IFMA) announced that the Islamic Republic is attempting to further suppress filmmakers by fabricating security cases against them as the anniversary of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement approaches. "But we all continue to stand together and fight against tyranny, repression, and suffocation more powerfully and gloriously than in previous months," the association emphasized in a statement. It noted that "the government has tried for all four decades since the Islamic Revolution to monopolize and totalize cinema, turning it into a tool for its propaganda and silencing any dissenting or critical voice." The statement further mentioned, "Despite censorship, the independent movement in cinema initially emerged openly and later underground due to repression and the arrest of filmmakers, resisting government cinema." It continued, stating that "this cinematic movement became more serious and powerful after the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Over the past year, we have witnessed the creation of new and different works that rejected government-imposed hijab and censorship, striving to present a true image of the youth, women, and society." The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran pointed out that this group was formed in support of independent cinema after the Mahsa-Jina Amini movement, aiming to break the government's monopoly and open a free space for filmmakers who do not want to be under the Islamic Republic's control and submit to censorship. The statement also mentioned, "The Islamic Republic has always tried to create a gap between people through an inside-outside discourse and exploit the divide between them to suppress both groups. Currently, it is also trying to propagate the false narrative that the association prevents the works of domestic filmmakers from being presented at international festivals." The association added, "One of the most important programs of the association is to help introduce and present independent domestic films at various festivals, and the association's achievements at the Berlin and Cannes festivals demonstrate how crucial the presence of independent institutions outside Iran is for reflecting the voices of filmmakers inside." The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran in Berlin emphasized that the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran (IFMA) was not formed against the valuable cinema inside Iran but rather to continue and strengthen it. The statement further noted, "For decades, the Islamic Republic has relied on the plundered resources of the Iranian people to present its desired ideological cinema, but the result has been nothing but the production of worthless, vulgar, and unrealistic films that are simultaneously rejected by filmmakers, audiences, and international festivals." The organization reminded that "the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran has no intellectual or financial dependency on any faction and is an organization derived from freedom-loving filmmakers who draw strength from their knowledge, expertise, commitment, and courage to strengthen their ties with filmmakers inside and the people of Iran and play a role in rebuilding the cinema that has been destroyed by the Islamic Republic." The association concluded, "It seems that these government conspiracies in the cinema sector, on the eve of the anniversary of the Mahsa-Jina movement, aim to disrupt the unity of filmmakers inside and outside and distract them with professional disputes. But we all continue to stand together and fight against tyranny, repression, and suffocation more powerfully and gloriously than in previous months." The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran has been very active in recent months, engaging in media dialogues and participating in various film festivals, including Berlin and Cannes, to introduce the works of independent and non-governmental filmmakers, especially young Iranian artists.