The director of the documentary “Brick and Blood” spoke about his motivations for making this work and the need to pay attention to the abandoned resistance of the south.
In an interview with the Resistance International Film Festival news site, Aqeel Jamati emphasized the long history of the resistance in southern Iran, saying: “The resistance in the south has a history as long as history. The Persian Gulf, whose name has been the subject of psychological warfare for some time, is an inseparable part of our beloved country of Iran.”
Referring to the abandonment of the southern resistance over the years, Jamati said: “Unfortunately, the southern resistance has remained abandoned for years. Heroes have died for this land and water, whose names have been lost in the pages of history. I considered it my duty to breathe new life into this courageous resistance and national heroes by removing this dust of oblivion through the art of cinema.”
The director considered the subject of resistance an archetype and appreciated the holding of a festival with this focus, adding: “The subject of resistance as an archetype from mythology to the present has been a pressing need of a self-made society. It is commendable that a festival deals with this axis in a specialized manner. If we consider festivals as a launching pad for works (which is indeed the case), what better place than here for them to be published and seen.”
In evaluating the role of the Resistance Festival in promoting the culture of resistance, he said: “In my opinion, every festival in the world is created with a purpose and mission to cry out a common pain in this gathering. The Resistance Festival is also committed to and steadfast in this mission, because the cypress tree is becoming more abundant and fruitful day by day.”
Emphasizing the power of cinema as an influential medium, Jamati added: “Cinema is today the largest and most powerful mass media in the world, but in reality, the truth is not visible, but rather sensory and perceptual. Cinema, with its element of drama and dramaturgy, can give the audience this opportunity to understand.”
The director believes that resistance cinema should portray good and evil side by side and give the audience the opportunity to understand the truth itself. He also emphasized the need to use archetypes and update narratives in resistance cinema.
Jamati considered cinema a powerful medium for myth-making and role-playing, saying: “Just as this double-edged sword can turn Spider-Man and Batman into role models, it can also make myths out of indigenous characters such as “Rais Ali Delvari” and “Mirza Kuchak Khan Jangali,” who are true, believable, and enduring myths.”
Referring to the need to review and update the narrative in resistance cinema, he stated: “This need is strongly felt in resistance cinema. The work must be produced for the audience, and it must be analyzed based on the knowledge of the audience. Today, with the cyberspace and the new generation’s connection to the Internet world and all this true and false information, the form of narrative in resistance cinema is in dire need of updating.”
Jamati stated that the reason for submitting his work to the Resistance Film Festival was the consistency of the work’s subject with the festival’s goals and the lack of a noteworthy work related to the resistance in the Persian Gulf in recent years. He considered his expectation from the festival to be to create a connection between broadcasters and producers.
The director considered cinema to be an international language for communicating with all segments of society and said: “Making a work that is not in the language of the people can easily cross borders.”
He emphasized that the festival should introduce and select works that have this characteristic.
In conclusion, Jamati considered resistance cinema a popular and sought-after genre and said: “It is enough for good productions to reach the audience. The Resistance Festival, as this intermediary, must gain the audience’s trust.”
