Golshifteh Farahani talks about the role of art in Iran: “In a dictatorship like Iran, art is essential, it’s like oxygen” – Berlinale

Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, a juror for Kristen Stewart at the Berlin Film Festival, spoke passionately about the importance of art in her home country as an antidote to the repressive government.

“In a country like Iran, which is a dictatorship, art is not just an intellectual or philosophical thing, it is essential, it is like oxygen,” she said at the opening press conference of the festival.

“Making art and being an artist is something that goes further, because being an artist puts your existence at risk.”

Iran’s authoritarian government has long persecuted professionals in the country’s creative community when they stepped outside the bounds of its strict Islamic views and guidelines.

Repression has gained momentum in the past year with a crackdown on freedom of expression that preceded recent protests that saw Berlinale Golden Bear winners Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to more than six months in prison. Both men were recently released on bail.

Farahani has been living in France since 2012.

She was declared persona non grata at home and forced to flee after being on the wrong side of Iran’s repressive Islamic Republic regime for starring in Ridley Scott’s 2008 spy thriller. full of liesappeared without a headscarf and later posed naked for the French magazine Miss Figaro.

Farahani now works regularly between Europe and the US with more credits incl Peterson, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, girl of the sun, Arabic blues And withdrawal.

The actress was last seen at the Berlinale in 2009 as the lead actress in Asghar Farhadi’s drama About Ellyfor which he won the Silver Bear for best director.

She later accused Farhadi of preventing her from walking the Berlinale red carpet with the rest of the film crew because of the controversy she had at home. full of lies.

The director denied the allegations and said Farahani walked the red carpet on her own.

“I am very happy to be here with you,” Farahani said at Thursday’s news conference.

“I came here in 2009 and it was a very different year. It is very symbolic to be in Berlin. Berlin is the city that broke through the wall, the real wall, for equality and freedom and brought so many people together,” she said.

“This year, with Ukraine, with Iran and the earthquake, it feels like the whole world is falling apart,” she said. “With everything that’s happening in Iran, and now that I’m back in Berlin after all these years, I’m glad that we can come together and celebrate cinema, celebrate freedom, even if the world seems to be collapsing everywhere.”

The international jury of the Berlin Film Festival, chaired by the actress Stewart, also includes the German director Valeska Grisebach, the Romanian director Radu Jude, the American cast and producer Francine Maisler, the Spanish director Carla Simón and the legendary Hong Kong director and producer Johnny To eat in.