“Humor is the best strategy against totalitarian governments,” explains the director of Café Tehran, from inside prison.
“I am the sister of the director of the film Café Tehran . My brother is in prison now .” This is how Neda Mihandoust began her presentation to the public at the Reag Belas Artes cinema in São Paulo. The Iranian, who does not work directly in the cinema and has taken refuge in Canada, is representing director Navid Mihandoust, who is serving a 3.5-year prison sentence in his country, around the world. She explains:
“The arrest is not related to Café Tehran , but to a 2009 documentary about journalist Masih Alinejad. It was actually an accident: there was a protest in the streets of Tehran against the government a few years ago. People were complaining especially about the price of gasoline. He was on that street by accident, and was arrested by police. His cell phone was seized, and from the phone, they discovered that he was a filmmaker. The next day, he was called in for questioning and confined in solitary confinement for a month. They started questioning him and finding out all the details of his work. Navid was released on bail, pending the trial date. The trial was not fair, in my opinion. Although he had a lawyer, he was not given a chance to properly defend himself . ”
Between the court ruling and the actual day of his arrest, the author rushed to secretly film the comedy-drama Café Tehran , presented in Brazil as part of the Incredible Film Festival. In the partially autobiographical plot, filmmaker Sohrab (Ramin Sayardashti) is arrested for his questioning films and banned indefinitely from practicing art. After serving his sentence, he opens a film establishment, filled with images of directors on the walls. But if Sohrab does not practice art, it comes to him: one day, young Berkeh (Setareh Maleki) asks the man to use the café as a stage for his subversive performances. This is the opportunity for the former filmmaker to express, through the voice of others, his thoughts on freedom.
“It was very similar to what happened to him ,” Neda points out. “Although he was already in detention, my brother was called in for questioning many times. They kept trying to get Navid to get in touch with that journalist again — we don’t know exactly why. They tried to get him to cooperate. My brother pretended to cooperate, just to buy the time he needed to make his own film. During the interrogations, he also used very sarcastic language, just like the character in the film. This part was very close to the facts . ”
Neda Mihandoust in Brazil. Photo: Alex Gonçalves
“This call comes from inside Evin prison”
During the conversation, Neda's phone rings. She says, "It's my brother ." From inside the prison, he uses his sporadic right to a phone call to talk to his sister, knowing that she is giving interviews to Brazilian journalists at that time. "You can ask him the question directly," says Neda, who puts the phone on speakerphone. "He'll have to speak in Farsi, because the government is listening to the content of the conversation. But I'll translate." The conversation then continues with both brothers simultaneously.
The filmmaker explains about the posters on the walls of the Café: “As a filmmaker, I love Woody Allen, Krzysztof Kieślowski and Abbas Kiarostami. Part of the film’s sense of humor comes from these references. In the plot, the main character’s father has just died — he was a man fascinated by literature. After his death, the hero removes the poster of Jim Jarmusch and replaces it with a photo of his father. This is a quiet humor to discuss the fact that cinema and literature can sometimes collide . ”
But wouldn’t irony be frowned upon by Iranian leaders? Navid explains that it isn’t: “Humor is the best strategy against totalitarian governments. In this way, the rulers still feel powerful, and they don’t always get the message. If you choose an affronting approach, the reaction is much more severe. That’s why I prefer a sense of humor . ”
Occasionally, a female voice overhears Navid’s voice on the phone. Neda explains: “This voice is a recording. In Farsi, the woman’s voice is saying: ‘This call is coming from inside Evin prison’. It’s a standard recording of calls from the prison. Navid asked me to explain this to you .” The filmmaker himself emphasizes: “Otherwise, Brazilians will think we have women inside the men’s prison!” he jokes. Brother and sister laugh.
“My brother has a great sense of humor, even now, in prison ,” Neda explains. “He has a very strong personality. Even if very serious things happen in his private life, his reaction is usually humor . ”
Ramin Sayardashti and Setareh Maleki in Café Tehran
“If I return to Iran, I will be arrested immediately”
Now, wouldn't the fact that he made another feature film against the government after his prison sentence make the filmmaker's situation worse? “Not yet! He's still in prison only for the previous documentary. But the government obviously knows that he made another film. We haven't suffered any severe backlash yet,” his sister celebrates. However, she ponders:
“The young actress in the film had to leave Iran, for example. The cast had to be careful. It’s already very difficult for actors in general, who have to follow official rules to the letter. In general, citizens in Iran know that they are at risk all the time. We can be arrested anywhere, at any time. Since I represent my brother, I know that I cannot return to Iran. If I do, I will be arrested immediately. But those who still work and live in Tehran know that they are at risk at any time. Thank God, none of the artists associated with Café Tehran have been retaliated against for their participation in the film — at least not yet . ”
In the fictional narrative, Sohrab becomes distant from his wife due to his time in prison, and is unable to strengthen their bond after serving his sentence. This was an important element of the project for Navid, who wanted to portray the impact of authoritarian policies on romantic relationships:
“Because of the imprisonment, artists are prohibited from practicing their art, but the restrictions go beyond that. Their private lives are severely impacted by imprisonment. Of course, this doesn’t only happen in Iran. But relationships are also severely damaged by the separation. I really wanted to portray the way in which oppression affects people’s privacy ,” he says. That’s why the protagonist of the fiction carries a human fetus inside a glass jar, representing the child he never had with his wife.
“I didn’t exactly want to use the fetus as a symbol. I wanted to explore it as an exotic presence, an element of estrangement. The main objective was to reflect the character’s psychological state. His relationship with his wife was not common, nor healthy. Therefore, I wanted to show that the connection with the non-existent son reflects a broken, fragile emotional bond” , he explains.
“Free Navid Mihandoost, an independent filmmaker. He is in danger in prison.” Photo: Alex Gonçalves
“I don’t believe he can answer that question.”
When the conversation turns to more obviously political aspects, Navid has to measure his words. When asked about the specific role that international repercussions could play in his quest for freedom, his sister immediately says: “I don’t think he can answer that question,” to which Navid helpfully adds: “But as soon as we hang up the phone, my sister will answer it for you . ”
In fact, after the call ended, Neda relayed the filmmaker's thoughts:
“He always says that prison walls cannot confine the ideas and thoughts of artists. As long as the world knows what is happening in Iran, and what is happening to artists in this country, we will have done our part. The world needs to know. We do not want other countries to believe that we are in a situation of normality, as the government insists on saying. The government begins to become cautious when the world finds out about this oppression and reports it. When the voice of political prisoners is heard, the government becomes more wary of acting arbitrarily against them. For example, I think of the case of ordinary citizens, who are not artists or people recognized outside the country. They are arrested, beaten, tortured. But when the rest of the world finds out about these facts, they act more cautiously. That is why we want everyone to know what is happening in Iran. I hope that this will have a positive impact on Navid’s situation ,” he concludes.
This is the full letter read by Neda Mihandoust in São Paulo:
I am Neda Mihandoust, the sister of the director of the film Café Tehran. My brother is in prison now. He began serving a three-year sentence on August 20, 2023. The unjust charges against Navid stem from a documentary he made in 2009 about the professional life of Masih Alinejad (an Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist). The documentary was never released. My heart is full of grief and anger, and I have tears in my eyes to represent the voice of the oppressed and those who fight for freedom, like my brother.
The story of Café Tehran is similar to what happened to my brother in Tehran. They released my brother on bail for about 3 years and asked him to cooperate in contacting journalist Masih Alinejad, under the pretext of making a new film. However, my brother did not cooperate and circumvented the judicial system to buy time to make his new film, which was one of his dreams, by portraying the injustices that happen in this country. Now, I read my brother's message to this festival.
I am deeply honored that my film will be shown in Brazil, in the city of São Paulo, to a specialized audience. At the same time, I am very sad that, due to the circumstances created by the Islamic Republic of Iran, I am deprived of the joy of seeing your reactions during the screening.
For someone like me, who has not yet had the pleasure of visiting your country, Brazilian cinema is very well known and admired because of pioneering filmmakers like Humberto Mauro and Nelson Pereira dos Santos, as well as dissident directors from the next generation, like Glauber Rocha, and highly successful commercial filmmakers, like Hector Babenco and Walter Salles.
I really wanted to see your beautiful historic city, which is one of the most populated cities in Brazil, and meet the artistic and cultural community in person, something that unfortunately didn't happen.
I want you to know that my film was made on a low budget, mainly because of the obstacles created by the authorities for independent films. This kind of pressure was also experienced by the famous Brazilian director Glauber Rocha in the 1970s, but we must not forget that we are now in the third decade of the 21st century. I believe that the global artistic community should not remain indifferent to such pressures.
I look forward to your reactions to my film, and I hope you enjoy it. I understand that artists may seem to have limited power compared to politicians, but we have hidden power in our work, with the lasting potential to be realized at any moment.
From my prison in Tehran, I am watching the screening of my film at your festival, and I have great hopes that your moral support will help me through this unjust imprisonment that has been inflicted on me. In the meantime, politicians should know that prison walls are not high enough to imprison the thoughts of artists.
I look forward to the day when artists around the world will be free to express their opinions and ideas, and I hope that political leaders will understand that the world is more beautiful with art and freedom than with politics and dictatorship.
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