انجمن آرای ایران

داریوش شکوف. فیلمساز

Daryush Shokof Interview
جمعه, ۰۷/۰۹/۲۰۱۰ - ۱۴:۰۸ — Azad Tribune
Daryush Shokof is an Iranian artist, film director, philosopher, writer, art director, film producer and political activist born in Tehran, but currently living in Germany. In his recent movie, Iran Zendan, Daryush has brought together the seemingly separate realms of art and politics in order to express his frustration with the current atrocities committed by the state towards political prisoners in Iran today. His humanitarian outlook and human rights activism manifests itself in all his capacities as an artist. He has been more than successful in raising awareness to the global problem of “racism”, pinpointing acute issues facing world problematic themes from religions to freedom and most specifically the right of women in most fundamentalist societies as Iran. Below is a recent interview conducted by ARTICLE۱۹ with Mr. Shokof after his recent kidnapping which took place as a reaction towards his two most recent films, Hitler's Grave and Iran Zendan.
Azad Tribune: Can you tell us about the kidnapping incident you were the victim of a few weeks ago?
Daryush Shokof: I was sitting outside a cafe under a tree in Friesenplatz, a famous and busy square in Cologne. It was ۷-۸ pm and a man ۱۰ meters away was speaking loudly in Arabic on his mobile. After a few minutes he came and sat next to me, still speaking on the phone. Just then, a black Audi stopped in front of us and two men got out. One took my briefcase that was next to me and the other placed a colt on my chest. As soon as I was forced into the car, I was blindfolded and my mouth was shut with a gaffer tape. As far as I could tell, they drove for about an hour within the city and took me to a room where an older man was waiting for us. He told me in genuine English that the reason I was there was because my latest two films, Iran Zendan and Hitler’s Grave, were an insult to Islam and Islamic Republic of Iran. I was fed occasioanlly and given a strange drink that made me fall asleep every time I drank it. After ۱۴ days, I was found in the River Rhine and taken to a hospital for treatment.
AT: I believe you were released on the condition that you withdrew the release of your latest film, Iran Zendan? Have you kept your word? What is there in this movie that has put your life in danger anyway?
DS: How could I hold a dialogue with terrorists? Secondly I was blindfolded and my mouth was wrapped. So how could I make promises? However, I was warned that I would immediately stop the release of the films.
Of course, not only am I stronger than ever now, but I made the film publicly available on yahoo for all countries in the world to see the entire film for free.
This movie shows in a film manner (not a report or interview) the horrors of the Iranian regime and how the political prisoners are treated in jails with symbolic references to the pictures of Khamenei, Khomeini and Ahmadinejad all over the walls inside the jails to suggest that these atrocities and behaviours are done under the very eyes of this Regime’s leaders.
AT: Among your many political activities, you have gone on hunger strike and also boycotted international film festivals. What statements are/were you trying to make?
DS: Hunger strike is always meant to express the fact that you identify struggle with the struggling people. Even though I acknowledge that my hunger strikes never match up to brutal tortures and killing of all those great brave women and men in Iran who gave it all to stand against the Islamic republic of Iran.
I boycotted not only the Berlin Film Festival but the festivals world wide for they all lied in the name of cultural dialogue with Iranian Regime and directly and indirectly promoted Iranian Regime and underscored the struggle of Iranians. Cultural institutes as such did even more harm to the struggle of Iranians for freedom for they falsified the filthy face of this Regime and introduced the Islamic republic as a very modern, advanced, and even forefront in such most advanced platforms on cultural scenes of the world.
How on earth can you tell me that you are showing a movie from this Regime, awarding it a best prize and expect the whole world to continue believing Iran’s Regime is unjust. How on earth can you take directors in the name of poor limited, and most endangered species in the world of culture to the festivals with their propaganda films where there does not exist even one film that could exit Iran without being released, accepted, stamped by Iranian regime and more lying continues when their political representatives dare to even stand on the red carpets all over the festivals and still claim oh, GOD this film and this Director risked his life making this movie?
Who are you trying to fool?!
We know exactly how the world festivals get money from Iran or have Oil trades to give these poor bastards all those pre-destined awards or even go further and co-produce films with Regime’s elements all over the world? We even know how Iran pays countries that co-produce with Iran and their Directors currently spread all over the planet. The names of all these Directors are all identified and will be given to the world openly soon.
AT: You are globally recognized for being an artist as well as a political activist. Do you live a double life, doing one for a living and the other as an interest, or do you think the ۲ are related? In other words, do you like people to think of Daryush Shokof as an artist/philosopher or as an activist?
DS: People think of me as they relate to me. The activists see my political engagements and the artists see me as one of their own. However, it is extremely important to separate the issues of the arts and the artist.
Art has absolutely nothing to do with politics. It is beyond politics, it is far ahead of all games and tricks and society rules and fashions of the day and even religions.
Art connects the artist to the higher levels, but in the meantime, there exists the artist who is still a human being and has not only all the human responsibilities but needs to be more brave than the rest, more giving than the rest, more responsible than the rest. More energetic than the rest and all that for sustaining continuity of freedom, peace, arts and culture for it is only he who knows how precious all these elements are for the sake of the artist himself to continue to create the free arts in the higher grounds.
Now that is where the artist has to get involved even where there is complete peace and freedom in order NOT to lose all those valuable gifts of life in promoting advanced civilizations.
The artist who waits to revolt and join those in need only when he runs out of paint or is not permitted to paint or film or write or say what it wants is way behind the line of humanity as a person, and way too late to be considered an honourable member of the society.
This is exactly what all those artists have been doing in Islamic Republic Regime to have ONLY thought of their fake and phoney status and filling their pockets like the rest of the world festival directors and associates.
AT: How does your ‘yekishim’ philosophy, closely affiliated with maximalism, fit in your political/human rights activities? Where does ‘Freedom of Expression’ fit in this philosophy?
DS: ‘Yekishim’ means let’s become one. In order to do that, we need to have freedom of thoughts, freedom of vision and freedom to communicate. We need to respect our personal freedom and the freedom of others, just as nature and creation intended. The moment we start imposing and forcing people, we have taken away their freedom of thoughts and expression. That is why I think the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a fundamentalist, fanatic regime. Because God is the greatest artist and the creation is human beings, men and women. If you think it is sinful to cover Picasso’s work with a piece of cloth, just imagine how unforgiveable it is to cover God’s most beautiful creatures, women, in forced veil.
What makes ‘yekishim’ different from the other thoughts is that it simply denies all the rules and laws in other religions that God and Satan run the show. In Yekishim we Human Beings are the answer. God hopes for US to help her prove to Satan that we as her creatures could UNITE. That’s all. We are there to end the struggling Good and Bad forces (called GOD and Satan) to come back together and bring balance to the creation once again. And the only way we could do that is to become UNITED on earth (Yekishim) as creatures of God so Satan feels ashamed to have separated us and ask for forgiveness so that God would forgive her and Peace overcomes the Cosmos.
Now all that means there is a perspective in my mind when I say people UNITE. That means those who do not want us to become one in mind and heart are of evil nature such as many who tell you follow my rules or else you will die and or go to hell.
In Yekishim you do not have Hell, and even Heaven is not the final stage but ONLY one phase of being for having done good on earth. The priority and goal is to find out the secrets of the universe and that we would not know in the Heavens. No religion ever tells us that we will know the truth about the creation when we land in the Heavens but that we would live happy ever after in the Heavens.
Yekishim therefore is modern and has a vey simple message, become united on Earth and then you will know the truth about the creation and why we are here on earth.
AT: I understand you left Iran in the ۷۰s. Why? Have you ever been back to Iran since then? Would you like to move permanently back some day?
DS: I left Iran around ۱۹۷۸-۷۹ and have never returned to Iran since then. The reason my father sent me to the States was that I had socialist and communist affinities and my father wanted to protect me from potential incidents.
I would INSTANTLY go back to a free Iran, and live there till I die. However, I would still continue to tour the world and remain connected to the world as I always have.
AT: As an artist, what kind of problems do you think you would face, if you were living in Iran? Do you think an artist in Iran enjoys the freedom of expression that art often demands?
DS: In Iran, a true artist can never emerge because aesthetic of art does not exist. Art is about being pure expression and the moment that is taken from you, you are lying. And a true artist cannot lie. How can ۲ characters in a movie who are in love never even touch each other’s hands? That is why I would like to call what we have in Iran ‘passive’ or ‘isolated’ art.
That is the main reason for my rejection of all works done in Iran and under this Regime and called as works in Art forms; at least not in any of the artists who are represented by this Regime. If you do not have freedom you just cannot create art as it should be, meaning arts in the higher grounds and thoughts.
All you can do at best is to do REACTIONARY Arts that is only a first stage of creating and expressing in an artistic form. You could never have a Jeff Koons for it is just not possible for you to express, see, or think or even experience art that way in such a limited and backwards society. You could never have Sigmar Polke, Lucian Freud, Bruce Nauman, or even Heim Steinbach. You could never have ۱۰۰۰۰۰۰۰ names in the advanced world of the arts that has gone ۱۰۰۰ years ahead of the most talented youth of Iran.
Equally, you could never expect a Takeshi Kitano, or MIIKE, or, Warhol, or … in the world of Cinema either.
You just do not have the permission to let your thoughts fly wild and free and positive or negative but FREE.
AT: Is self-censorship an issue in Iran in your opinion?
DS: In Iran there is a constant censorship imposed by the government. That is why you begin to constantly and automatically censor yourself too. And it is only only natural you start NOT creating in the name that you are censored anyway.
AT: What is it that Iranians and non-Iranians in the west can do to help people living under pressure in Iran?
DS: JUST get on the internet, connect, and start knowing your merits as Iranians. Start communicating with one another. Organize groups and political parties, introduce yourselves and your ideas to yourselves and to the world. Internet is a gift came from above for the world and it should be treasured by all. Elect your cabinet members, yes, go ahead and elect presidents. Discuss your differences and let the world know that you exist as a cultivated front against this barbaric Regime. Only then, we can ask the world and not necessarily the politicians to help us fight and destroy this Regime. Write letters to the likes of Merkel and Sarkozy. The world must know we are not alone. And all we want is freedom achieved through a cultural movement. This regime is scared of culture. I made films and they pointed guns at me a few weeks ago. We must keep on expressing ourselves in a cultural way. Believe me we can do it.
I for one belong now to a Political Party Called ARA OF IRAN.
The whole statements from this political party would soon go on internet and the world and Iranians could start communicating in rejection or agreement with this political party.
You could have yours and start getting engaged and active at least ۲ to ۴ hours a day, it will work. I promise the whole world and the Iranians that it would defeat this Regime sooner than all could expect
AT: And a very difficult question: How/where you do see Iran in ۵ years time?
DS: Get CONNECTED on the global nets and we can get rid of the current Iranian regime- as it is- by ۲۰۱۱.