How do Iranians or exiled Iranians and Iran experts observe the protests in Iran? With a questionnaire, we gather voices. This time: filmmaker Omid Mirnour, who has just presented the short film "Corruption on Earth" (more info).
The protests in Iran have been going on for weeks. With what feelings or thoughts are you currently observing them?
For me it is still a roller coaster of feelings, which I personally can handle better now than at the beginning of the protests. Feelings such as powerlessness, pain, sadness, anger on the one hand, but hope, strength, courage, love on the other hand have appeared in flying alternation. For me it was a previously unknown emotional chaos, which I had never felt the extent for Iran. Generational pain was activated here and I was able to transform the negative feelings into energy to actively participate in the events from a distance. We diaspora Iranians had all been in standby mode in the past, we had accepted everything as it is, and since our parents fled to a free country, we had rested extremely on that comfort. But the diaspora community has now become one and has shown that just because we are far from our countries, it doesn't mean we don't fight for it.
As a filmmaker, creating films has always been an outlet for me to process my emotions on one hand, and to provide a platform for unheard voices on the other. My short film "Corruption on Earth" did a lot for me personally to process my own emotions on the subject, it was sort of a therapy for myself.
Do you have direct contacts with the population in Iran?
Yes, I have direct contacts in Iran. One person there had mentioned: While in many other countries of the world many people start their morning with something positive, they are already littered with horror news in the morning, such as that someone has been executed again and will be executed soon, which makes it impossible for one to still radiate a certain joy of life to the outside world. A sense of fear is still present in the people as government controls become stricter and more brutal. Even families of diaspora Iranians living in Iran are threatened that their family members abroad should stop criticizing the Iranian regime.
On the one hand, however, the Iranian people also feel the international solidarity of many citizens in the Western world. They have never experienced this to such an extent, especially since in the past all media coverage was always negative, since the media always focused only on Iranian politics, which rightly has nothing positive to show, but the Iranian people were completely forgotten. The fact that Iranian women are now shown on the cover of the Times magazine as "heroes of the year" and that other mainstream media are focusing on the Iranian people and separating themselves from the regime is, at least socially, a great success. The whole thing leads to the Iranian people seeing themselves strengthened and taking courage to continue fighting the terror regime.
How do you assess the current situation? In which phase are the protests?
As a filmmaker, I don't feel able to divide the protests into phases and make a detailed analysis of them. That can best be judged by Iranian experts who live in Iran itself and are familiar with the social structures there.
My assessment of the current situation is that the Iranian people have seen what can be achieved when they form a mass. That you can stand up to the government after all and don't have to let yourself be oppressed any further. Many Iranian citizens are no longer silent, despite extreme threats and torture, and are standing up for their opinions. More and more celebrities such as musicians, filmmakers, athletes, etc. are making public statements and taking the side of the people, and are of course unfortunately arrested and/or threatened shortly afterwards. But many Iranians are ready to be locked behind bars or even to give their lives for the great cause, and I find this admirable. "We go to jail for our dreams. There is no freedom for us, neither behind nor in front of the prison bars," Iranian rapper Fadaei performed in a song.
By the end of the year, voices have increased that activism in the Iranian diaspora in support of the revolution is struggling or even stagnating. That it has remained a discourse among Iranians and Iranians in exile. Do you share this assessment?
I think it is completely normal that there cannot be a permanent high in such a long-lasting revolution. Rather, it is a long process of rethinking that takes time until it reaches everyone and more people join in step by step. For many of us this situation is completely new and we have to learn how best to deal with our energies & feelings.
There is also the filtering of information and the meaningful use of his power more than necessary.
In the beginning, I was present at every Iran demo in Berlin, I watched all the videos from Iran on various social media channels from morning to night and translated and classified them for my German environment, I helped organize Iranian theme nights, I designed and implemented my own Iranian media projects, I was the contact person for many non-Iranians who wanted my opinion or a general classification or involved me in their Iran projects, and all of this, of course, on a voluntary basis. However, I quickly felt drained of energy that way. It doesn't do anyone any good to rush from one Iran-themed evening to the next Iran demonstration while we are still using our last bit of energy to do our own Iran projects and are already planning the next events. Now I am much more conscious of the time I spend informing myself about the current situation, going to theme nights or demonstrations, creating my own media contributions, etc. I am not just a journalist, I am also a journalist.
This revolution requires people with a long endurance and who do not lose their focus. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a step back and needing some rest, but the main thing is to come back stronger and full of energy. You also have to remember that most of them have a full-time job on the side and many have a family to support.
For my Iran short film "Corruption on Earth", for example, it took me three months of full-time work to realize it. This made me turn down all other paid projects so that I could keep my focus only on the film. Of course, a decision like that makes itself extremely felt financially, especially with rising costs in all areas of life. And this is how it is for many activists, who sometimes have to dig deep into their pockets to be able to realize certain projects on the Iran Revolution. These factors all play a role in why I think activism has slowed down a bit.
With a sponsor network of companies or wealthy individuals who can also financially support activism projects, it would not only relieve the activists, but also promote more such projects in the sense of the Iran Revolution in the long term.
Although the Western media pay tribute to the revolutionary movement in their annual reviews, overall coverage seems to be declining in intensity. What to do?
I feel that this, too, is normal, since the media here are unfortunately programmed that way. At some point, a topic is simply ticked off for the media, even if there are new reports on it every day. The 5000 km distance to Iran and the "foreignness" of the other culture are of course further factors that make western media lose interest in reporting intensively on this.
What we can do as private individuals, however, is to continue to report on the issue and to draw attention to it. Media professionals in particular should join forces here and find new ways of telling stories about the Iran Revolution.
Original cell phone footage from Iran, tidbits of information, and graphic info tables can come across as uninteresting & off-putting over time. As a filmmaker, I feel it is my duty to continue to create content here. I have the motivation to tell visually strong stories and to present complex topics for viewers in a few minutes understandable, but still emotional. I would like to encourage German culture and media professionals to make more collaborations to create more media such as films, exhibitions, photographs, installations, etc., so that the attention about the Iran Revolution continues.
We need a strong network of media professionals and investors here, so that the expenses do not fall on the activists*. Well-produced media content will continue to maintain awareness of the issue. I myself, for example, have some ideas for more films or campaigns related to the current revolution, for which investors are needed. Support from large streaming service providers, TV stations and production companies, which then publish or possibly even co-produce the produced contributions on their platforms, are enormously important.
What can be the next stage that the activists abroad are heading for?
An important stage is to continue to form a unity and not to let ourselves be divided. Because the latter would play into the hands of the Iranian government. I think we also have to accept that everyone has their own way of being active, while one person shouts loud slogans at demos, the other person feels more comfortable being active outside the public eye. Only together can we achieve our goal of overthrowing the corrupt, inhumane regime of the Islamist Republic of Iran.
Well-known Iranian opponents of the regime, such as former Crown Prince Reza Pahlevi, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, women's rights activist Mahsi Alinejad, actress Golshifteh Farahani and activist Hamed Esmaeilion, have apparently formed a new opposition alliance. What do you think of the prospects?
First and foremost, I think it's good that there's an exchange and that people with different opinions are pulling together. Communication and organization among each other is extremely important. It is debatable whether a person whose father has already brought a lot of suffering to the Iranian people and was one of the triggers for the 1979 revolution is a suitable representative for an opposition, but as long as it happens as an alliance together with other people, I think this kind of exchange is good.
I am curious to see what common goals are pursued and what is on the agenda.
However, in my opinion, the people living in Iran here should decide what form of an opposition they find most appropriate and which one they would choose after the fall of the Iranian government.
After all, we must not make again the mistake of our parents' generation of 1979, blindly presenting the people with a government leader from exile, who will then drive the country to ruin. It will take a very long time to rebuild and reshape this country, but there is nothing we want more.
What is your prognosis: In which direction will Iran or the uprising develop in the coming months?
I am full of confidence that it is a point-of-no-return. It will never be the same again. The shouts of "Marg bar Khamenei" ("Death to Khamenei") screaming from the window of their apartment in Iran are getting louder and louder. The fire of exploding Molotov cocktails thrown at government buildings ignite brighter and brighter. The hair of women blowing in public without headscarves is increasing. Students and pupils destroying the obligatory photos of the alleged revolutionary leaders hanging in every classroom are becoming more and more frequent. All of this will lead to our goal, even if it takes years.