Postcards from Iran: Towards an Axis of Understanding

Towards the end of 2007, when our fears of a military conflict between the U.S. and Iran were at their peak, Make Films Not War resolved to use images and stories to continue building a cultural bride between our two societies, even as our governments ratcheted up their language of war.

Iranian Films for Peace: Ghobadi Shorts

We made contact with award-winning Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi (HALF MOON, TURTLES CAN FLY, A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES), and discussed how best to go about this. We decided to commission five up-and-coming Iranian filmmakers, two of them as young as 10 and 13, to produce a series of short videos on the themes of war and peace. Ghobadi's company, Tehran based MIJ Productions, co-produced.

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Hitchkas: Bunch of Soldiers

Hich Kas, sometimes referred to as the President of Iranian hiphop, dominates the scene as not only the pioneer of the latest generation of rap artists, but a singular voice against contemporary social issues facing youth in Tehran.

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Postcards from Iran: Traveling Photography Show

Iran is a country of over 70 million kind, educated, cultured, mostly young, and overwhelmingly peace loving people, with a history that spans two thousand years. We found five of the most talented contemporary photographers in Iran, and asked them to contribute some of their work to our campaign, to give a more visceral sense of of the diversity and energy of everyday Iranian society. In the spirit of cultural exchange, we hope you enjoy these "postcards" from Iran, and we encourage you to pass them along to friends and family.

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Cultures of Resistance