Filmmaker Vahid Jalilvand opens up about “irreversible” protests in Iran
The current political climate in Iran has become the subject of global discussion, with countless reports about human rights violations emerging from the country. Filmmaker Vahid Jalilvand, the director of Beyond the Wall, recently opened up about the highly volatile situation.
In an interview with Variety, Jalilvand said: “The thing I am sure of is Iran will not return to how it was three months ago, before these protests started. It won’t go back. People have gained a spirit of fighting for their inalienable rights, and this won’t go back – it is irreversible now. But at the end of the day, whether there is a huge transformation or positive outcome, it is hard to say.”
Jalilvand’s latest film – Beyond the Wall – is undoubtedly a product of the sociopolitical developments in Iran. It tells the story of a suicidal blind man who decides to help an escaped woman hiding in his building. Due to the political marginalisation of filmmakers like Reza Dormishian and Jafar Panahi, it’s becoming increasingly important for global audiences to watch the latest films coming out of Iran.
Jalilvand commented: “Naturally, in a country like Iran, where we have a totalitarian regime, it is more tangible for someone living in such a society, and one can’t overlook the realities of living in such a society. So, I was naturally influenced by that in writing this, but what I hoped to do was that this could be universal, and not just related to Iranian society.”
When asked whether Beyond the Wall is banned in Iran, the director added: “At the moment, everything is going forward in silence. They are not giving permits for films to be shown, nor are they banning the films. This shows their cowardice somehow. They are not brave enough to say anything officially, so officially nothing is said about the movie, but they send messages by indirect channels that this movie cannot be shown right now.”
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