The ongoing plights of Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof — who were both released from prison earlier this year after months of detainment for crimes relating to their criticisms of the nation’s government — prompted renewed concerns about Iran’s authoritarian policies from the global film community.
But the larger philosophical and geopolitical concerns about censoring filmmakers can make it tempting to view these men as mere symbols, ignoring the spiritual price they end up paying for their work.Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears,” made the rounds on the international festival circuit in 2022, and he used the platform to issue frequent statements about the dangers faced by Iranian filmmakers who try to express themselves freely.
Panahi and his many supporters often spoke about the paradoxical reasoning that allowed filmmakers to keep focusing on the very art that was putting their freedom in jeopardy.
Being creative in an environment…
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