DUBAI: The Berlin International Film Festival red carpet on Saturday became a protest platform against Iran’s regime when a group of the country’s filmmakers and international stars, joined by jury president Kristen Stewart, chanted “Women, Life, Freedom!” and demanded the release of imprisoned journalists and an Iranian rapper.
Prominent names among the Iranian professionals joining the protest — hosted by Berlinale co-directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian — were actress Golshifteh Farahani, who is also on the jury, “Holy Spider” actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, and “The Siren” director Sepideh Farsi.
The rally took place following a panel discussion titled “The Role of Cinema and the Arts in the Iranian Revolution.”
Panelists included Ebrahimi and Farsi, who expressed hope that the protests spreading across the country could help inspire change.
“This regime lies,” Farahani said in her opening speech as quoted by Variety. “The prisons of Iran are full of innocent people. We need you to stand on the right side of history with the Iranian people. This regime will fall.”
Meanwhile, protesters on the red carpet held demonstrations for women’s rights in Iran, climate change and fair wages for Berlin movie theater workers.
“Whether you like it or not, this festival in particular, historically, is in a positive way, confrontational and political,” said Stewart at the opening press conference, according to The Hollywood Reporter.