Widespread Support from Cinema Artists, Documentarians, and Screenwriters for the Popular Uprising in Iran

As protests continue in Iran, three separate statements have been released by Iranian filmmakers, documentarians, and screenwriters, explicitly supporting the nationwide uprising and condemning government repression. These statements have been signed by a large number of Iranian artists. The statement from 184 Iranian filmmakers states: 'Shooting at the people is a crime against the right to life.' In a joint statement, 184 Iranian filmmakers strongly condemned the repression of public protests and emphasized that protest is 'the natural and civil right of every human being.' The statement reads: 'We, the filmmakers of Iran, condemn the repression of the people's protests under any pretext. Protest is the natural and civil right of every human being. No power has the right to consider itself above the people.' The signatories directly referred to the violent actions of government forces, stating: 'Shooting at people who have come to the streets empty-handed is a crime against the right to life and has no justification.' The filmmakers also emphasized: 'For nearly half a century, despite the vast natural and human resources in our beloved country of Iran, neither justice has been achieved, nor welfare, nor security.' In another part of this statement, it is mentioned: 'Organized corruption and the plundering of public wealth and a terrifying ideology have led people's lives into the abyss of poverty, oppression, and despair, and national assets have been destroyed in regional challenges.' The signatories concluded: 'We, the filmmakers, will depict these days and these wounds, and with all our might, we will defend the right to freedom of expression, condemn the repression and killing of protesting people, and stand alongside the people of Iran.' Some of the signatories include: Vishka Asayesh, Mostafa Al-Ahmad, Pegah Ahangarani, Mahnaz Afshar, Majid Barzegar, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Jafar Panahi, Roya Timorian, Reza Dormishian, Mohammad Rasoulof, Leila Rashidi, Saman Salour, Behtash Sanaeiha, Kianoush Ayari, Asghar Farhadi, Baran Kowsari, Maryam Moghaddam, Marzieh Vafamehr, and Safi Yazdaniyan. In another statement, a group of Iranian documentarians also declared their 'clear and decisive' support for the protests of the Iranian people. They emphasized that what is currently happening in various cities of Iran is 'the result of decades of systematic repression, structural corruption, economic collapse, and widespread violations of human rights.' The statement reads: 'The people who have come to the streets are not for chaos, but to reclaim the right to live, the right to choose, and the right to be seen.' The documentarians rejected government violence, stating: 'Violence, arrests, and repression are not the answers to these demands. While the voice of protest may be temporarily silenced, reality cannot be erased.' They described their professional role as follows: 'As documentarians, our duty is to record and convey reality; documentary is the collective memory of society, and its removal means the erasure of history.' This statement has been signed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Reza Alamehzadeh, Pegah Ahangarani, Nima Sarvestani, Sepideh Farsi, Mojgan Iranlou, and Nahid Pour-Sarvestani. Following this wave of support, a group of Iranian screenwriters also previously expressed their support for the new wave of protests in a statement. This statement emphasized: 'The recent economic, political, and cultural protests are not a fleeting excitement but the result of years of not being heard, being ignored, and systematically eliminating critical voices.' The screenwriters, referring to the nature of their profession, wrote: 'Our job is to write about the realities of life, and we cannot remain silent in the face of the calamities that are imposed on people's lives, which are becoming harsher every day.' The statement reads: 'Where livelihood becomes a crisis and freedom is trapped in the cage of surveillance and threats, street protests are inevitable.' They also emphasized: 'Violent responses to these protests are not a solution and deepen the problem; security is not achieved by silencing voices, and stability is not formed by denying reality.' Some of the signatories of this statement include Behtash Sanaeiha, Shabir Shirazi, Farzaneh Shabani, Mahnoush Sadeghi, Mahtab Sadaqat, Hamzeh Salehi, and Mehrnoush Abdi-Monfared.