Cultures of Resistance

In November of 2007, Cultures of Resistance/Make Films Not War founder Iara Lee sat down to speak with Iran's first Nobel Peace Laureate, Shirin Ebadi, at the offices of her legal practice in Tehran. Ebadi is an activist for refugee rights, as well as those of women and children. She was the first female Judge in Iran's history, before being forcibly retired after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. She is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran, and has written a number of books and articles focused on human rights. As a lawyer, she has been involved in a number of controversial political cases in Iran, and has been imprisoned on numerous occasions.

At a moment when rhetoric from government officials in both the U.S. and Iran were (and continue) to suggest a looming military conflict, Ebadi speaks eloquently on the tragedy of war, and its disastrous consequences for movements to protect human rights, women's rights, and the environment.