The director of the documentary “ISO 1361” spoke about the reason for making this work, the invisible hands of hypocrisy for not communicating the message of the martyrs, and his solutions for presenting the works of resistance globally.
In an interview with the International Resistance Festival news site, Mohammad Reza Mirazi referred to the martyrs serving the law enforcement forces and the invisible hands of hypocrisy and said: “Just as the MKOs closed the mouth of Talib (the main character of the work) in 2018 so that no one could hear his voice, today the invisible hands of hypocrisy insist that the message of the martyr not be communicated, which, thank God, the Resistance Film Festival has provided this opportunity to present this important matter.”
Mirazi added: “Regarding the choice of this subject, I must say that this work tells the story of a mother who, after the bitter incident of her son’s martyrdom, heard that the MKO had burned her son with a hot iron many times. She has not seen an iron for 42 years and her children do not iron clothes in front of her mother. The father goes to Geneva and tries to convey the voice of the Iranian nation’s desire for freedom to the ears of the (so-called human rights) communities, but their ears are deaf and have not been able to tolerate these cries.”
The director responded about his assessment of this festival and its role in promoting the culture of resistance, as well as how to present such works on a global level: “The essence of this festival’s brand and logo speaks of making a calculated statement, a calculated statement that is missing from today’s humanity. Of course, those involved in the festival must be careful to protect themselves from possible harm in the course of their career.”
“In terms of presenting such works on a global level, in my opinion, there are two solutions that can lead us to this destination. First, in addition to providing content, we should not neglect modern techniques and improving production levels. Second, we should advance the distribution and screening platforms with the school of resistance, meaning that these products should be one of our strategic weapons in the frontline trenches of Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria, and not just in cinemas.”
Regarding presenting these works to a global audience, Mirazi believed that this can be achieved through deep exploration of past myths and events, honest expression, and courage in the field of production, which are important points.
He continued by talking about audience identification in this genre and updating the narrative in these works: “Audience identification is very important in resistance art and cinema. The main owners of resistance in the Islamic world and the world of freedom are the barefoot, unassuming, not the Westernized people whose Kaaba of aspirations is London and Washington.”
“I should also say about updating the narrative, of course we need these changes, we must not neglect the young generation and teenagers who are under the most intense bombardment and cultural attack, and we must not forget the model of communication with this generation.”
Mirazi concluded: “The festival’s information should be a bit broader and more complete, media products, especially in the field of specific topics, should be paid more attention to, so that the public is aware and familiar with these works and their goals, and to create motivation and enthusiasm in the audience as well as the factors producing the works, creating motivation and waves.”