Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani does not understand why France has not responded more to the protests of Iranian youth. We asked about her.
Paris Match. Your screams of anger were widely spread on the Internet. Why do you think the Iranian women’s issue is not heard much about in France?
Golshifteh Farhani. I said to myself before I wrote my letters: Where is the information? Why is France, which is at the forefront of all issues related to the defense of human rights, so silent? Why is the Eiffel Tower not in the colors of Iran when it was in the colors of Ukraine? People in France are afraid of being labeled Islamophobic, while the demonstrations in Iran today are not related to the Islamic religion. In France, there are many taboos related to Islam. But in Iran today, the fight is not against the veil. Women who are not veiled or veiled struggle for their freedom.
Why are young people rising today after so many years of dictatorship in Iran?
I have lived in exile for fifteen years. The generation born in the 1980s lived through war and repression after the revolution. We are a limited and oppressed generation. Generations 90 and 2000 have not experienced war, they are not a traumatized generation like ours. In 2009, the youth rose up against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election. In November 2019, the protests were bloodily suppressed, with more than 1,000 people killed. This young man is not afraid. These are our children. They are on the street. They are not ashamed of being horrible. I saw a young woman replying to a woman wearing a chador: “I want my life.” It was unimaginable for my generation.
It is also remarkable that young people accompany the women’s movement.
170 years ago, the poet Tahera was burnt in Iran because she took off her veil. When the hijab became mandatory in Iran, my father didn’t get up… Fifteen years ago, at the Berlin Film Festival, when I was worried about not wearing a hijab on the red carpet, Asghar Farhadi, director of “Around It”, didn’t support me. Even the #MeToo movement was Only women. But in reality, things are changing. Moreover, male figures such as Roger Waters or Justin Bieber have already given their support to Iranian women. It is the first time in the history of Iran and even humanity that men die for women. This comes in addition to The Middle East, a region of the world where women are considered less than nothing.Why doesn’t France say to them “Bravo”? Why does San Francisco provide support and not Paris? I was shocked by the comments on singer Barbara Braffy’s Instagram post. It is not a religious story being circulated in Iran, again, but the struggle for the freedom of women and men.
Shocked by the handshake between Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Ibrahim al-Raisi in New York?
Politics is always very complicated. If Emmanuel Macron shook hands with the Iranian president, it is because there are important economic issues, especially with regard to gas and oil. I’m not shocked, but in that case, let’s ask for something, let’s put the terms…
Your messages have been transmitted widely. Was it important to get involved as an Iranian artist?
There were 370 million views of my messages on the Internet while we are 80 million Iranians. I am trying to be the bridge between Iran and my country of origin and France where I live and speak its language. I am trying to translate Iranian psychology so that the French understand the complexity of what is happening there. My responsibility is to be that bridge. I can reach millions of people. I have just gone ten days without sleeping or eating but what is the fatigue in the face of people dying in the street?
You were talking about Asghar Farhadi earlier. He gave his support to the protesters. Is it important in your opinion?
Well done Farhadi! finally ! He has talked about everything in recent years, about Palestine in particular, but never about Jaafar Panahi, for example, who is nonetheless still in prison. Where has he been in the past few years? If some cultural circles did not like him, it was because he had not used his prestige for a long time to support people. During the interviews, he reiterated that he only wants to talk about his films when Iran is a dictatorship. For years he said nothing, did nothing. He never supported me when I worked with him on “About Elly” fifteen years ago. He is an Iranian man of his generation concerned with the issue of women. The new generation speaks more, dares more. If you are not talking about fascism in Iran, do not take positions on other topics such as Palestine, and do not address the language of force. I speak with passion because I cannot stand this hypocrisy any longer. He didn’t talk about Panahi even though he’s his friend…but hey, if he did talk today, well done.
