Censorship

• The Filmmaker's Situation

  
  

  
  

  •Panahi was banned from making films from the Iranian government, so he used a dash cam for TT

  •The whole film is a form of resistance showing how artists find creative ways to express themselves.
• Hana's 'Distributable" Film

  Rules for the film + censorship:

  •avoid showing poverty

  - avoid portraying Iran negatively

  - avoid political content

  
  

  Her frustration represents how censorship affects aspiring filmmakers
• Nazrim Sotouneh's Appearance

  - She's a human rights lawyer, and she discusses imprisonment and suppression of freedom of speech

  - Symbolic presence

  
  

  
  
• Absence of Cast and Crew

  - No traditional credits- protecting those involved

  - This shows the risk of creative expression
• Style and Structure

  - Documentary-like format- this blurs fiction + reality, which makes it harder to classify and censor by authorities

  - Panahi avoids overtly political statements
• What does this tell us about censorship..?

  - Censorship is systematic

  - Artists must resort to symbolism, metaphor, and covert production

  - Celebrates the resilience of creativity and the importance of truth, even in constrained environments