Retrospective 2009 - Green Days with Hana Makhmalbaf

 

Hana Makhmalbaf had two eventful days at Womens Worlds, moving from the airport to the reception at the city hall and then directly to the press conference at Arsenal theater, where she carefully listened to the questions of the journalists, to whom she then explained that the majority of the Iranian people, especially the young generation is tired of the Islamic dictatorship; that they surely don’t want a president like Ahmadinejad, who is working on building an atomic bomb, while shooting at his own people.

"I perceive myself in this imposed exile as an ambassador of the Iranian people and would like to communicate to the world the desire of the Iranian women and men for freedom“. That this was the reason why she showed in her film pictures that were not to be seen in the local media in Germany: An almost euphorical hope and anticipation to achieve democracy though the upcoming elections.

 

 
  The next day, after a little sightseeing through Tuebingen, she had to get ready for the screening of her film „Green Days“ and the award ceremony during a small reception for awardees Hana and Leymah Gbowee. Always accompanied by intensive conversations with the spectators, with whom Hana conversed about issues that she felt strongly about: Democracy and Human Rights in Iran, for the women in Iran.

  She also met other Iranians who had come from far places in order to see „Green Days“.
  After the award ceremony and as an introduction to the movie, Irene Jung outlined the career of Hana, the youngest member of the Makmalbaf-family, who at 21 years of age has already a remarkable and successfull 13-year long career as a filmmaker.
  Hana explained her view of herself as a tiny drop in the midst of the ocean of the Iranian people, which continues to courageously demonstrate in the streets regardless of the repression by the Iranian government. She hoped that the audience would eventually understand that the people are not to be equated with Ahmadinejad’s regime.
 

The audience showed through the applause after the screening that it honored this message...

 

 

 
  ... and continued to engage in the lively conversation with the film-maker after the screening.
  Hana reinforced the view that the Iranian people longed for democracy and freedom and not for nuclear weapons.
 

As the audience asked about the role of the women in present-day Iran she confirmed that meanwhile women are demonstrating in the front rows and that they make up a considerable part of the movement for democracy. This was obvious in her documentary in the streets of Tehran, where women wearing daring clothes criticized the regime openly. They were thoroughly able to throw stones against the armed squads that attacked the demonstrators.

Hana's appeal to Europe: „Do not allow Ahmadinejad to build the atomic bomb. Whoever shoots against his own people will use this weapon against his enemies as well!“
 

back to overview

Fotos: Alexander Gonschior - Webdesign, Fotografie - Tübingen - www.agowebworks.de