Iranian Animated Film Screening in Israeli Cinemas Sparks Controversy

Following a media uproar over the screening of the Iranian animated feature 'Bacheh Zarang' in Israeli children's cinemas, the distributing company was compelled to respond and questioned the Iranian origins of the film. According to Israeli media, after a report by an academic researcher in the country claimed that the 'Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults of Iran' played a role in the film's production and that one percent of the film's revenue would be allocated to children in Gaza, the distributing company dismissed the claim as 'utter nonsense' and identified Malaysia as the primary source of the film. The film, created by Behnoud Nokouei, Hadi Mohammadian, and Mohammad Javad Jannati and produced in 1397 (2018), is presented in Iran as a joint product of the Institute and the Poya Art Group. The animation 'Bacheh Zarang,' previously introduced in Iran as one of the 'highest-grossing' animations in Iranian cinema history and screened in several other countries, has been listed for screening in Israeli cinemas for children and families for the past two weeks. In Israel, the animation is screened under the title 'Talking Tiger.' Israeli cinemas are experiencing high attendance from families and children during this time of year, just before the new school year begins. A month and a half after the extremist group Hamas attacked Israel, leading to the Gaza war, the Farhikhtegan newspaper in Iran reported on November 30 of last year that the animation, produced by Hamed Jafari, had made over 37 billion tomans in sales by that date. This producer also promised that one percent of the revenue would be allocated to 'children in Gaza and Iran.' According to Israel's Kan network, the animated film has so far generated over 15 million dollars and has also been screened in Turkey and Russia, in addition to Iran and Israel. Tamar Gindin, an Israeli researcher at the University of Haifa, noted that 'Bacheh Zarang' was prepared in two versions; one for screening in Iran that contains 'Shia messages,' and another for the rest of the world. Previously, Mohammad Javad Jannati, one of the film's creators, confirmed the production of two versions of the film, stating, 'There are certain issues in the domestic version that do not exist in the foreign version, and of course, there are also certain issues in the foreign version that do not exist in the domestic screening version.' He also emphasized that the differences between the domestic and foreign versions of the film relate 'to dialogues and jokes.' Meanwhile, the foreign version of the film is introduced as 'a product of Malaysia,' and even the tiger character in the story is referred to as 'the Malaysian tiger.' The film distribution company named 'Red Keep' responded to the uproar by emphasizing that a French company known for film distribution purchased the animation from Malaysia. In its statement, the company also pointed out that Malaysia has a reputation for its animation services worldwide, and many companies in Europe and America are interested in collaborating with it. 'Red Keep' added, without mentioning Iran in the film's production, that the claims made are delusions rooted in a misunderstanding of how films are distributed and screened in Israel. The company asserted that all revenue from the film will be used in Israel and will belong to the cinemas screening it and the distributing company, and any other claims harm Israeli staff and teams. The company added that it has screened many films 'with great love' in recent months for Israeli war-displaced children, referring to children from families who left their homes in northern Israeli cities or thousands of Israeli children who have been away from their homes in southern Israel for a long time, some of whom have recently returned to their hometowns. However, some Israeli media outlets were not convinced by 'Red Keep's' explanations. Channel 12 of Israeli television reported that the Iranian film, whose revenue is intended for Gaza, is being screened in Israel. The newspaper 'Makor Rishon' wrote that the Iranian animation, filled with 'violent messages,' has infiltrated Israeli cinema. The website 'Serogim' described the screening of the Iranian film in Israel as causing 'astonishment.' The strong reaction from these media outlets to the screening of an Iranian film in Israel comes despite the fact that, for 45 years of hostility between the Islamic Republic and Israel, many films by Iranian directors such as Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi, Asghar Farhadi, and others have always been screened in Israel and received widespread acclaim from critics and cinema-goers in that country. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, whose early films were screened in Israel during his stay in Iran, later traveled to Israel himself.