Is the 'Underground' Cinema the Cure for the 'Bankrupt Fajr' Cinema?

The 43rd Fajr Film Festival experienced many ups and downs with the films showcased in its competitive section. This edition of the festival witnessed several significant events, including: the opening of a legal case against Reza Babak and Marzieh Boroumand, two veteran artists, for shaking hands and joking at the opening ceremony; Bahram Radan's withdrawal from the jury due to his prolonged stay abroad; the removal of Shervin's voice from the end credits of the animated film 'Dolphin Boy 2'; the prevention of the screening of the banned film 'Wild Killer' despite promises for its showing; and the filtering of non-critical questions by the team of the film 'Moses Kalimullah' directed by Ebrahim Hatami. Manouchehr Shahsavari, the festival secretary, and his colleagues took over the management of this festival at a time when official cinema - from state-sponsored to licensed films - has found a new and somewhat formidable rival: the 'underground cinema' that calls itself 'Iran's underground cinema.' This cinematic movement, which dates back to the late 2000s, has now become a fresh voice for Iranian cinema in global festivals and a competitor to the mainstream cinema that, although it showcases a handful of presentable works at its state festival, has produced comedies in the last two or three years that have left many in despair. On the other hand, the 43rd festival was filled with ideological cinematic productions, most of which were funded by government institutions, attempting to whistle the dusty and misunderstood history of the dark and bloody 60s for the ruling regime. In the radio program 'Paragraph One,' Mohammad Ali Sajadi, an old cinema director who participated with the animated film 'Rudabeh and Zal' among the four animated films at this year's festival, was present alongside Ahmad Talebi Nejad, a cinema critic and author of the book 'Cinema If It Exists: An Analytical History of Post-Revolution Cinema.' Sajadi states that the Fajr Festival is a cinematic celebration arising from an ideological system within which state cinema in Iran operates. He mentions that after making his seventeenth feature film 'Dilemma' in 2007, he did not attend the Fajr Film Festival again. Sajadi notes that during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi and the 'Pahdari Brothers,' there was no dialogue, and he did not even set foot in the Ministry of Culture. However, he claims that this time there was an opportunity for dialogue. Ahmad Talebi Nejad, another guest on the radio program, states that in today's Iranian cinema, what is not discussed is cinema, art, and the audience. This writer, who has directed the film 'I Am Not Bin Laden,' confirms the 'greenhouse' nature of the Fajr Festival cinema in the first decade after the February 1979 revolution, stating that despite all the limitations of that era, when government support was lifted in the mid-1990s, this cinema withered like greenhouse plants. Talebi Nejad believes that social media and modern technologies have made cinema an easy and accessible art, which has affected the curiosity of cinema audiences. According to him, hopes for Iranian cinema have faded and been lost in the second half of these four decades. This critic has excluded the Fajr Film Festival from his schedule for the past couple of years, stating that now we face a festival whose existence or absence makes no difference to many in the cinema community. This is not only due to the absence of well-known filmmakers but also, according to this critic, relates to the quality of films he describes as 'bitter social reports' that are read and watched once. When asked whether this situation is a result of changing audience tastes or government policies, he notes that people once welcomed 'Hamoon.' He attributes the fatigue and irritability of the public, alongside the airing of low-quality television series by the Islamic Republic's broadcasting service and the broadcasting of Turkish series via satellites, as influential in changing the public taste in Iranian society. Sajadi also mentions that the need for people to be 'happy' and 'carefree' has led them towards entertaining films, none of which are comedies but rather 'shows.' Talebi Nejad considers the film 'The Exiles' and its director Masoud Dehnamaki, who was previously a member of the hardline Ansar Hezbollah group, as the beginning of this style of filmmaking. He states that Dehnamaki, with his entry into cinema, brought a collection of jokes that were told at the front lines into his films. He believes this 55-year-old director broke a barrier and showed a path that everyone thought they could use his trick. Talebi Nejad regards these films as a 'painkiller' and believes that the need for people's happiness cannot be treated with these films. Sajadi, referring to his three periods of 'house arrest,' states that during this time he has followed the path of 'experimenting and responding to himself,' resulting in research documentaries such as 'Hamid Homa,' 'Neighbors' by Ahmad Mahmoud, Sohrab Sepehri, and four research documentaries about Ferdowsi, which were made without government support. He mentions that he has learned to do his work and not get caught up in journalism or become time-bound. According to the director of the film 'Zal and Rudabeh,' despotism blocks the natural process of thinking and causes the artist to bear the burdens and woes of society, becoming a politician and political activist. Sajadi believes that Iranian cinema has become so entangled in social issues, particularly of the 'journalistic' kind, that it has lost its 'imagination.' Sajadi, who did not attend the Q&A session for the animated film 'Zal and Rudabeh' at the Fajr Film Festival, previously made the animated film 'The Blind Owl.' He states that for making 'Zal and Rudabeh,' he neither sought permission from anyone nor requested a production license. According to this director, he made his film as he liked, aiming to create something rather than just talk about the Shahnameh. Sajadi leaves the judgment of the film's quality to others. The director of the film 'Interrogation of a Crime' states that he has always faced backlash for his political and social inclinations. 'In the 60s, I was beaten and the Islamic Republic tried to put me in my place and discipline me. But I have followed my path, whether right or wrong.' Talebi Nejad states that the painful cry from the late Dariush Mehrjui's throat during the screening of the film 'Laminor,' which they ultimately tried to compensate for with 'bribery,' was correct. Mehrjui asked, 'Who are these people?' referring to the censors who sit and judge films. According to this cinema instructor, the censors do not emphasize 'odorless, useless, and trivial' films and would not mind if the 'hot oil' of these films was more so that people forget the prices of meat and fruit. Talebi Nejad believes there is no alternative to underground cinema. Although he states that he does not empathize with many of these productions and sees much 'opportunism and sloganism under the banner of the opposition.' This critic, referring to Sajadi's earlier comments, states that when there is no balance, you either fall off one side of the cliff and become a 'fossil,' or you make films from the other side that I will not name to avoid bias. Sajadi believes that 'underground cinema' and 'mainstream cinema' complement and evolve each other. He considers today's Iranian cinema as a 'bankrupt cinema' that the political system tries to control, but the tools of the past twenty years no longer work. According to Sajadi, the result of the government's 'struggles' has led to the 'commissioned cinema' we see at the Fajr Festival. He describes the current conditions in Iranian society and cinema as a 'milky and watery' transition, similar to the situation after the August 1953 coup, emphasizing 'repetitive motifs.' He states that in the 40s and 50s, Italian comedian films, particularly those of Lando Buzzanca, saturated Iranian cinema. The winner of the Golden Statue for Best Director from the seventh House of Cinema Awards for the film 'Crime' believes that today's Iranian cinema, like the entire ruling system, is 'struggling' to maintain itself, but society desires change, and it cannot be restrained with 'clumsy' laws. He believes that the Fajr Festival should be used as a window to create a space for transformation. Talebi Nejad refers to the tribute ceremony for Nasser Taghvai, a director of the new wave of cinema in previous years at the House of Artists in Iran, and states that Mr. Taghvai expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation that Iranian cinema has faced, saying that by 'not making films,' he is trying to cause the foundations of this type of cinema to collapse. Talebi Nejad criticizes Sajadi's comments that the Fajr Festival is a 'window,' stating that if we believe 'the house is fundamentally ruined,' we might think that by attending, we are whitewashing it. He adds that when we, as audiences, critics, and filmmakers, go to this festival, it seems we are giving it vitality, to a festival that even those involved in the government believe the films presented this year are 'mediocre.' Talebi Nejad then refers to Sajadi's statement about standing firm and not yielding to his beliefs, asking him what he is doing at the Fajr Festival. Sajadi states that Iranians live in a dual world that presents matters in black and white, and Talebi Nejad is also caught in this plight. He mentions that all the greats of cinema, such as Kiarostami and Beyzai, have made films in these four decades under the Islamic Republic. Sajadi states that at times he did not submit his films 'Ethereal,' 'Crime,' and 'Infatuation' to the festival. He says he works within the framework of this state cinema, and what matters is whether he has maintained his independence or not. In response to a group of filmmakers' requests to boycott the Fajr Film Festival and the state cinema of Iran abroad, he states that both sides think alike, and often what is said on one side is the opposite of what is said on the other. Talebi Nejad expresses his desire to ask, as a 'reformer and not a regime changer,' why no one is focusing on their work. The editor-in-chief of the banned publication 'Haft' states that this publication was permanently banned by 'the tip of a pen from a cleric in Qom.' He continues that a cleric, no matter how educated, may still inherently oppose cinema, music, and theater. Talebi Nejad concludes that through a combination of factors, Iranian society is in a state of destruction rather than construction. Sajadi also refers to the binary opposition formed in Iranian society and cinema, stating that these two factions, which appear to be against each other, create a synthesis that is essential for our survival. The director of the animated film 'Zal and Rudabeh' believes he submitted his film to the festival so that people would have the opportunity to watch it, and this does not mean 'whitewashing.' Sajadi states that the regime in which he lives is so dark that it cannot be illuminated by these things. He mentions that he administratively lives in a place where he must continue filmmaking; otherwise, he would have to take his film abroad, where 'they also react politically.' The weekly program 'Paragraph One' is produced in collaboration with Benjamin Sadr and Shahram Ebrahimi and is broadcast live every Wednesday at 8:30 PM Iran time on Radio Farda. To participate in this program, send your message or contact number via the ID @fardagram on Telegram so we can contact you.