The death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody in Tehran on Sept. 16 has sparked widespread protests across Iran. Thousands — many of them teenage girls and women — have taken to the streets to oppose the regime and to push for their basic rights, most prominently women’s rights, while a brutal authoritarian crackdown has, according to human rights groups, led to the killing of hundreds of people so far. Although several Hollywood figures have voiced their support for the protestors and there has been a large show of solidarity from the French industry, more can be done to help, says Iranian-British director Babak Anvari.
In an open letter sent to The Hollywood Reporter, the award-winning filmmaker — who won a BAFTA for his debut feature Under the Shadow (set in 1980s Tehran), directed recent Netflix hit I Came By and is attached to helm the next Cloverfield installment for Paramount — urges his colleagues in film and TV to help be the voice of the Iranian people as the government attempts to restrict what information gets out of the country. As he says: “Amplify their voice, spread the word, keep the discussion going. Support the movement.”
See the open letter below.
Dear colleagues,
I think by now most of you must have at least heard about the situation in Iran, my motherland, and, of course, the name Mahsa Amini. Here’s a quick recap: Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was arrested by the Morality Police in Tehran for wearing her hijab “loosely”, which is to say: too much of her hair was on show. She died in police custody. Multiple sources confirmed that she was beaten to death. This sparked protests that have been escalating and spreading across the country over the past weeks. People are pouring into the streets demanding their basic rights, even schoolgirls are abandoning classrooms and joining the protests in an unprecedented way. Women have been at the forefront of these protests – “Women, Life, Freedom” has become the popular slogan of this uprising.
In response, the Iranian authorities have restricted access to the internet so that the news cannot leave the country and have started a brutal crackdown of the protests. The people of Iran are continuously asking the international community to be their voice, to spread the word and to bring awareness, and to make sure that the world takes notice of their fight for freedom and human rights and stands in support.
Many have been killed so far, some of the victims are only teenagers, who strived for a brighter future. Citizen journalism has been the main way of following these protests and the Iranian people continue to share videos and updates whenever they can.
Iran is a cinephile nation with a rich cinema of its own and many of its youths, who make up a large percentage of the current protesters, are avid fans of pop culture from around the globe. So, I appeal to my colleagues in the entertainment industry: please, help be their voice — they desperately need our support. Stars like Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Brian Cox and many others have been vocal about these protests, and a few days ago a group of French celebrities including Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert and Marion Cotillard cut off locks of their hair on camera to show their solidarity with Iranian women — all these efforts have been hugely appreciated by Iranians around the world, myself included. Because not only do these efforts bring awareness but they also give hope to the youth of Iran that the world is listening to their chants for freedom. Let’s continue to give the Iranian people this hope.
You can help, whether you’re working behind or in front of the camera. Follow, repost or retweet content from hashtags like #MahsaAmini or #Mahsa_Amini and other informative hashtags and accounts that are circulating on social media; follow the news and updates and listen to what the Iranian people are asking for from the international community. Amplify their voice, spread the word, keep the discussion going. Support the movement.
I’d also like to humbly urge broadcasters and news outlets to expand their coverage of the current situation in Iran. Many Iranian citizens are risking their lives to report on the demonstrations – journalists, activists, students, and ordinary people are getting arrested, imprisoned, beaten, shot, and killed for this cause – please let’s make sure that their risks are not in vain.
Thank you for your attention.
Babak Anvari
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