Iranian Film Industry Responds Angrily to Russian Attacks in Ukraine
The Iranian government may support the Russians in Ukraine, but most of the country’s film community is outraged by the war – and some are more open than others.
The famous Iranian actor Hamid Farokhnezhad, best known around the world for his portrayal of Asghar Farhadi’s “Fireworks”, posted a video circulating on social media criticizing Russia’s “brutal invasion of Ukraine.”
Farokhnezhad (pictured above), opposed to the Russian invasion, expressed his desire for a video to bring back the best actor who won the Moscow Film Festival in 2005 for his role in the anti-war drama “The Big Drum Under the Left Foot,” directed by Kazem Ma’asoumi.
As Iranian multi-hyphenate Babak Karimi, speaking from Tehran, puts it, “Iran has experienced eight years of war with Iraq, which was similar to the Ukrainian war.”
“The memory of the war is very much alive here,” he notes.
So obviously everyone is saying: ‘Here it is again, it’s going to take years. ‘” Karimi, an actor, filmmaker, and educator, won the Berlin Silver Bear in 2011 for the acting judge. in “A Separation” which won an Oscar, and is common in Farhadi films.
“There are actors close to the government who support the war as a form of politics, while from a human point of view they are against it,” Karimi said.
However, the majority of those in the film circles is “totally against the war,” as is the case with the majority of the Iranian population. “Everyone in Iran is worried, as well as the cultural and cinematic world in particular,” added Karimi.
Iranian Film Industry Responds Angrily to Russian Attacks in Ukraine
Iran and Russia are strategic allies and the country abstained from voting during the March 2 General Assembly, which strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the current war has serious consequences, especially for the Iranian people, as there are fears it could create a crisis in the recently concluded agreement to renew the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran that could lift economic sanctions on Iran.
According to several media reports, there are concerns that Russia may now oppose and rescind the deal because the lifting of sanctions against Iran will allow millions of Iranian oil barrels to return to the world market.
This, in turn, will give Russia less power as the world’s largest oil and gas supplier.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden ordered a moratorium on Russian oil purchases in retaliation for an attack on Ukraine.
Karimi, however, is hopeful that the nuclear deal will succeed.
“Warfare always has its consequences,” he says.
But much of the conflict between the West and Russia was resolved “before the war began,” added Karimi, including the closure of Iran’s nuclear deal.
On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the agreement with Iran was nearing completion, with only a few issues left.
Price urged all parties, including Russia, to focus on resolving themselves.
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