Statement in support of Iranian filmakers Vahid Zarezadeh and Gelareh Kakavand

24 August 2022

The Radical Film Network strongly condemns the intimidation and persecution of filmmakers Vahid Zarezadeh and Gelareh Kakavand by the Iranian authorities. Both filmmakers’ homes were raided in April 2022 by Iranian security agents who took away some of their belongings, such as computers and mobile phones. Zarezadeh and Kakavand were both arrested and then interrogated at one of Iran’s intelligence ministry buildings, accompanied by threats, obscenities and insults. The interrogations were centred on the filmmakers’ recent work with human rights activist Narges Mohammadi on the documentary White Torture, about the use of torture and physical humiliation, as well as solitary confinement and sensory deprivation, on political prisoners in Iran.
 
Both Zarezadeh and Kakavand have since fled Iran, fearing for their safety if they had stayed in the country. Both are currently living in precarious situations, with no refugee protection. They have since learned that they are likely to face further reprisals in Iran because of their contact with the Belgian non-fiction filmmaker workshop Close Up, which according to the Iranian authorities amounts to spying for the Israeli government.
 
These reprisals are part of a recent wave of intimidation and persecution of filmmakers in Iran, including Firouzeh Khosrovani, Mina Keshavarz, Mohamad Rasoulof, Mostafa Al-Ahmad and Jafar Pahani.
 
The Radical Film Network stands in solidarity with Vahid Zarezadeh and Gelareh Kakavand, as well as all other filmmakers who face reprisals for speaking out against the Iranian authorities. We call on the Iranian government to immediately end the prosecution of filmmakers for political reasons, for safe return to be guaranteed to those who have left the country, and for all confiscated equipment to be returned. And we call on governments across the world to condemn these ongoing prosecutions and to grant asylum to filmmakers who have had to flee Iran, for as long as the situation in the country remains threatening to their safety.
 
We also hope that among our network’s members and affiliates, there will be some with the knowledge and experience to pursue this case further, both in terms of holding the Iranian government to account, and to help find a safe haven for Zarezadeh and Kakavand while they need to live in exile. If you would like to get involved, please email us at info@radicalfilmnetwork.com
 
More information:
https://vimeo.com/724084015
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2022/08/iranian-society-has-been-taken-hostage-says-exiled-documentary-film-maker
https://www.icfr.international/news/open-letter
https://iranwire.com/en/society/106709-belgium-based-filmmakers-ngo-blacklisted-by-revolutionary-guards