Dr. Ghafari, the Secretary of the International Resistance Film Festival, criticized the silence of prestigious international festivals regarding the crimes in Gaza and announced the receipt of 500 works on the theme of resistance and said: “Resistance cinema will be the voice of the oppressed in the world.”

According to the Resistance Festival News Agency, Dr. Jalal Ghafari, the Secretary of the 18th International Resistance Film Festival, this afternoon in a meeting with media activists from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Armenia, referred to the four decades of activity of this event in the field of cinema and resistance, and emphasized: This festival is known as the only global festival centered on “supporting the oppressed.”

He added: “Our goal is to become a medium for the cry of the oppressed. Cinema is the most important cultural tool for conveying a message to the world, but unfortunately, colonial powers have used world cinema to serve their inhumane goals.”

Condemning the silence of prestigious international festivals regarding the massacre of the oppressed people of Gaza, Ghaffari stated: “In the past year, more than 50,000 women, children, and ordinary people were killed in Gaza, but no global film institution addressed these tragedies. Today, we proudly say that more than 500 international works on the theme of Gaza and resistance have been submitted to this edition of the festival.”

He also pointed to the role of governments in distorting reality through cinema and said: “Some powers that are themselves perpetrators of crimes against humanity are abusing cinema to portray themselves as oppressed. At the Resistance Film Festival, we want to create a space where the pain of the oppressed can be heard.”

Ghaffari concluded by expressing hope for a future based on humanity, saying: “The world of tomorrow will definitely be built with kindness and justice, and I hope that we will also be part of this honorable human society.”