Jafar Panahi

[Guest]

I do hope that, as Bradshaw asks here, the international film community continues to rally in support of Panahi. After being arrested several times over the last year, he's been imprisoned for 6 years and banned for making films for 20. It's terrible.

Panahi is an incredible filmmaker. Crimson Gold is one of the most moving and powerful films of the decade imo.

[Ek weet nie]

Jafar Panahi

The Berlinale invited him on to their International jury prior to this sentence. Hopefully, some of the more mainstream awards ceremonies will highlight his plight to a larger audience.

I've read quite a bit about the arrests of Panahi but I haven't read any analysis of why he is being targetted more than Kiarostami, Ghobadi, Pitts or the Makhmalbaf family. I realise they have had issues with their ability to work but not to the same degree as Panahi.

[Nefertiti2]

Jafar Panahi

There's a petition calling for his releasehere.

And a facebook page here

IWN my understanding is that he has simply been more outspoken in his support and has also announced that he is determined to stay and work in Iran.

[Ek weet nie]

Jafar Panahi

An open letter from Rafi Pitts to Ahmadinejad.

In Solidarity with Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, we suggest to all filmmakers and members of the film industry, regardless of your country or borders, religion or politics, to support our fellow filmmakers by not working for two hours between 15:00-17:00 (local time in Tehran) on the 11th of February 2011, the date of the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.

To Mr. Ahmadinejad,

In 1979 there was a Revolution. In fact, the commemoration, the 32nd year of our Iranian Revolution, is on the 11th of February 2011. The reason you need to be reminded of this is because I feel that you have forgotten the reasons why this all happened. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you need to explain yourself. Maybe you have your own definition of our Revolution. In which case I feel you should respond to the question: Why do you think we had a Revolution in 1979?

The time has also come to clarify your reasons for wanting filmmakers to be put away. Your reasons for wanting to kill a life, a career, in the name of our Revolution, or maybe I'm asking the wrong question: Is it all about your re-election?

A very close friend, Jafar Panahi, one of our most important filmmakers, for whom I have great respect as a person, and admiration as a filmmaker, is being imprisoned by your government, by your law. He is sentenced to six years for wanting to make a film. A film he hasn't even made. Six years in prison on an idea for a film. On top of it all, as though that wasn't enough, he is sentenced to twenty years of not being allowed to make another film and twenty years of not being able to leave his homeland.

Another important young director, Mohammad Rasoulof, is being convicted with the same sentence. His crime: working with Jafar.

They are both punished for caring about their fellow man. Punished for wanting to understand the events of June 2009. Punished for caring about the lives that were lost in the conflict due to the elections. Although, need you be reminded, all candidates had been given permission to present themselves by the regime. The choices were very clear and indeed legal. Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof made their decision alongside the majority of our film industry. It became the Green Movement. The right was given to us.

° Do you think there is anything wrong in wanting to understand why people died in our last elections?
° Do you really believe that our country is unaware of the violence the election results caused?
° Is it a crime for Panahi to want to make another film?
° Is it a crime for Rasoulof to question reality?
° Is it because filmmakers want to hold up a mirror on what has happened to society?
° Are you afraid of a point of view that might contradict yours? In which case, please answer the question: Why did we have a Revolution?

Rafi Pitts, 24th of December 2010, Paris

[Jimski]

Jafar Panahi

Yes, let's hope the pressure from the film community is unrelenting.

He's a great film-maker - I find his films much more watchable than some of his even more celebrated countrymen and -women. (Why does Abbas Kiarostami always seem to be so much more feted? Ironically this imprisonment may put Panahi's reputation somewhat nearer its deserved level.)

The White Balloon and Offside are my favourites.

[Gangster Octopus]

Jafar Panahi

Yay, it's Jimski. How's things?

[Jimski]

Jafar Panahi

Hi there - all is good, thanks TG. I seem too busy to spend much time on here these days (raising a family and all that), but I take a peek every now and then.

I don't get to the cinema much either now, though do catch everything 3-6 months late on DVD.

And happy new year everyone!

[hobbes]

Jafar Panahi

Hello mate! Great to see you on here!
I trust you'll be saving up a cinema outing for March when Norwegian Wood comes out over here?