The Success of VOA Persian Producers at International Festivals; Three Programs from the Persian Section Won at the New York Film and Television Festival

Three programs produced in the Persian section of Voice of America were selected in four different categories at the New York Film and Television Festival. Hojjat Tavakoli won a gold medal for the documentary "Endless Beginning" in the documentary section. Fahimeh Khodrheidari received silver and bronze medals for the episode "Sonobar, Mother of Khodamour" from the series Yadaar. Siamak Dehghanpour received an honorary diploma for the television program "Israel-Hamas War: The Islamic Republic's Proxies." "Endless Beginning" highlights the relentless efforts of women in Iran's struggle for freedom and equality, marking a significant moment in the history of Iranian women's movements since the first International Women's Day after the revolution in March 1979. Hojjat Tavakoli's documentary captures this long journey. In 2023, Tavakoli was also recognized with his documentaries "One of 52" in the international section and "Deception" in the domestic section, receiving an honorary diploma. Years before the establishment of VOA television, VOA radio was a well-known and reputable name for Persian speakers worldwide, providing daily news reports on Iran and the world for over three decades. After the closure of VOA radio in 2015, VOA had limited activity until it decided to produce and broadcast the first series of its programs on the anniversary of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, led by veteran journalist Fahimeh Khodrheidari. In the first episode, Khodrheidari interviewed Sonobar Lajahi, the mother of Khodamour, one of the victims of the bloody Friday in Zahedan. This was Sonobar's first exclusive and detailed interview after Khodamour's death, earning bronze and silver medals at the New York festival. The television program "Israel-Hamas War: The Islamic Republic's Proxies" was produced by Siamak Dehghanpour during the peak of the war, aired live from Jerusalem and Washington. This program uniquely gathered the official positions of Israel, the Palestinian government, Israeli citizens, and Palestinian citizens regarding the war and Iran's influence in a sixty-minute segment. Notable figures included Ram Ben-Barak, a senior member of the Israeli parliament, Jonathan Conricus, spokesperson for the Israeli army, and others. During the program's preparation, a source in the West Bank informed VOA's Persian section that the Islamic Republic is laundering money for Islamic Jihad through companies and exchange offices in the West Bank and is connected to arms trafficking mafia groups in the region, financially supporting inexperienced extremist groups in the West Bank. An Israeli official confirmed this. The program reflected opinions from both Iranian and American citizens and provided a detailed history of the Islamic Republic's proxy groups. This group of colleagues from VOA's Persian section had previously received honorary diplomas from the same festival for programs like "Iranian Rap: The Rhythm of Anger" and "Environmental Crisis in Iran."