BioPersian: (born May 29, 1957, Tehran) is an Iranian film director, writer, editor, and producer. He is currently the president of the Asian Film Academy.
Makhmalbaf's films have been widely presented in international film festivals in the past ten years. The multi-award-winning director, belongs to the new wave movement of Iranian cinema. Time magazine selected Makhmalbaf's 2001 film, Kandahar, as one of top 100 films of all time. In 2006, he was a member of the Jury at the Venice film festival. Makhmalbaf's Interview on Radio Farda June 13, 2009, 12:00 AM Translated for The Real News Network
Makhmalbaf:
Yesterday, twenty agents in civilian clothing attacked press offices of Mousavi‘s campaign at Gheitarieh. They broke all communication devices and attacked the campaign staff, including Mr. Kharazi and Mr Amirzadeh. They beat up the staff and when the people confronted them, they fired tear gas at the crowd. These were agents in civilian clothing! Then the agents attempted to runaway. About seven of them were captured by the people and were kept at the campaign headquarters. Next the police arrived at the headquarters and demanded to have custody of the seven captives and said "We would punish these lawbreakers ourselves." . "No, we need this to be court documented; we know that after the election, you will lose them", said Mr. Amirzadeh.
[I think here he is referring back to before this recording begins. This has to do with the reports from the early counts at the polls indicating that Mousavi is the winner]
The Ministry of Internal Affairs contacts press offices of Mousavi's campaign to prepare a message for declaring victory on Sunday [which is Hazrate Zahra's birthday http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatimah]. Mr Mousavi said that "within the next couple of hours I will declare victory and the celebrations would be on Sunday, which is Hazrate Zahra's birthday and Mother's Day [in Iran]". Afterwards Mr. Khamenei is notified that Mr Mousavi has won the election. At first he says fine, you can communicate this to the people, but the message propagation and broadcasting should be well managed [and controlled].
Behind the scenes the news changed! All the mobile phones belonging to Mousavi's campaign got disconnected. Also from couple of days ago the SMS messaging were disabled for all the mobile phones. It was communicated to the Reformist [Eslah Talab] newspapers [the papers of Mousavi's political party] that they were the winners but were told that they must refrain from announcing the victory. The campaign's communications headquarters was shutdown and the responsibility for campaign's communications was given to me [Makhmalbaf]. This is as much as I know personally.
Until this point, I have personally received the information directly from campaign communications headquarters. From this point on, the only information I have, are through intermidatery sources.
For example Mrs. Nooshabeh Amiri informed me that Mr. Majidi has abandoned Mousavi. Majidi has said that I lost hope, and has gone home. He has announced that tomorrow there will be a coupe in Tehran.
Radio host:
Mr. Makhmalbaf, this news that you are reporting is very serious. Based on which facts are you making such a claim?
Makhmalbaf:
The second portion of the story [the plans for a coupe on Saturday] was conveyed to me through an intermedietary source. It would be better if you talk with Mrs Nooshabeh Amiri, who is the direct source of this news. The portion of story, before the coupe, should be accepted as the truth under my responsibility. I was assigned by Mousavi's campaign, since the headquarters were closed, the responsibility of communications for the campaign was transferred to me. Because of this, I announced that the victor of the election is Mr Mousavi and even Mr. Khatami had announced that the victor is Mr Mousavi and any other vote that comes out of the ballot boxes is clear fraud. I think that there are two possible theories here, first it could be that they wanted to announce the news slowly, so that the society is not shocked. Secondly it is possible that the minorities and even Ahmadinejad and Sepah have even performed a coupe against Hashemi and Khamenei. This is a very critical situation, and critical times for Iran.
Radio host:
Regarding the Mousavi victory you mentioned, based on what documents and trust in which ballets, are you making such a claim?
Makhmalbaf:
My source is Mr Mousavi's campaign that received notification from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that they should even prepare the victory announcement and messaging. They [Ministry of Internal Affairs] had contacted the Reformist newspapers [Eslah Talab] that they can announce victory, but the announcement should not mention the word "Victory" [so that the supporters of the other party would not get provoked].
Radio host:
You, as the speaker for Mousavi's campaign, are officially confirming this claim?
Makhmalbaf:
Yes
Radio host:
Also I wanted to ask, if it is announced tomorrow that all the votes are counted and Ahmadinejad has been elected as the next President. In your opinion, given the support and presence of people in Tehran and other cities, what would be the reaction of supporters for Mousavi and other Reformists?
Makhmalbaf:
My information about the Reformist is that they are currently in complete shock. Mr. Mousavi was at the Ministry of Internal Affairs until an hour ago, after that I have no knowledge of his where abouts. There is a crowd that has gathered in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There were clashes in front of the ministry. The power has been cut in Tehran, I don't have the exact timing of the cut. The SMS messaging was cut from before the election day and the mobile phones barely work. In the next couple of days the country is in the heighten state of alert.
My perception is that, the power that was mobilizing by this campaign would not be easily defused. But the campaign feels that they could be losing power. In the messaging that they communicated from the campaign, it was encouraged to remain calm, and a reminder that we are entering a democratic phase.
It's just that, I became responsible from before lies are feed to the people, the information was to be communicated through me to the people, because the campaign wanted to communicate this information to the people themselves.
Given the fact that, last night I spoke on Voice of America and people were sending me the latest news and also the fact that I am right now in Paris. This role was assigned to me.
Right now the mobilized forces and even Sepah are so baffled and shocked, that they don't even know what are the suitable and necessary next steps that people should take.
Radio host:
Mr Makhmalbaf, it has been said that the votes counted so far are only from the villages and small cities. It is likely that with counting of the votes in bigger cities, the numbers would change. Do you think that this a correct prediction?
Makhmalbaf:
It is the Iranian culture that news of death is given softly and slowly. So it could be possible that they brought up the results for now and are going for a soft landing for [Ahmadinejad's] supporters.
But I smell a coupe, and I think that if any other vote [than Mousavi] come out of this election, the country will go in another direction.
Radio host:
This was Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the official speaker for the Mir-Hossein Mousavi campaign.
Comments from Registered Members | (Register or log in to make your comment.) | theali 2009-06-17
Makhmalbaf holds a news conference and reconfirms his election night statement with proof that there was election fraud. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7fiBxU8wEU | sunrise 2009-06-16
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer.First step comes first, let’s stop the funded, financed “green Party” to over throw the democratic elected president, he is working for his people not US and the west.Stop the 24/7/365 around the globe to overthrow the third world for their resources. Google dean Loren" and Leuren Moret - population control.bottom line- Green revolt for US oil and rich elites. | donjuan4 2009-06-16
Ya Radio Farda, the US government owned , CIA run radio station. A station dedicated to overthrowing governments. That the Real news puts this on their site and refers to it with prime importance to me shows the CIA and their black budget for reporters got to Pepe Escobar and probably Paul Jay too. Here is the wiki entry for the ignorant- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Farda This station has just lost most of its credibility with these segments on Iran. | theali 2009-06-16
Dear sunrise, people of Iran are not revolting over the points you raised. They are demonstrating against indisputable election fraud. Please do not hijack the issue, the same way Ahmadinejad hijacked our election. Thanks. | sunrise 2009-06-15
google "BrassCheckTV.com" and click War Crime in USA, Fallujah: the Hidden Massacre; Genocide in Burma Supported by the US, The UK, and France; How the military poisons its own troops. If those are what Iranian Elite looking for? elect a west-financed president is a death toll. learn the data and history. Google "BrassCheckTV.com" key-in Election Fraud in USA, Computerized election fraud, Destroying free and fair elections, state by state, How we got George Bush, Third world USA. so how in the world that US by any means qualitied to monitor any other country's presidency election? it is a big joke. | sunrise 2009-06-15
programmed new prime minister took the seat with invisible financial hand of west. There were 24/7/365 overthrow all over south east Asian, middle east, south-centre American to elected a west Ivy League programmed, brain washed elite to take office to benefit the west world financial grabbing against their own people. Do not forget the Hugo Chavez’s presidency election. West throw him out of the office by affluent west purchased supporters put a puppy in president seat. Until Hugo’s ingenious people tool back the president seat. Google:"leuren moret". | sunrise 2009-06-15
Mir-Hossein Mousavi's president candidate sold out by foreign investors, namely US. British and west countries. Stamped with concede of the Catholic Church. The church is an instrument and ammunition to steal, rob the third world resources. Red-cross, “Care”, Peace organization (all are political organizations in civilian outfit) churches, religious are soft weaponry for the only agenda of profiteering on the name of Christ and peace. They are all CIA’s underground outlet to depleting the resources around the world. Read “Politics and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua” and Google “Lauren Monet”. Not one country around the world that the presidency elections were not controlled and manipulated by US and the west to secure a pro-west leader and to deplete the resources, Iran’s oil can not let go by the west. So, Mousavi needs to take control. Iran’s election just another US doing. There were 5 overthrow democratic elected prime minister in Thai until the Ivy League graduate brained wash | Rhizome 2009-06-15
Makhmalbaf is not based in Paris. You're probably mistaking him for A.Kiarostami, another film-maker.
Besides, being critical with the regime or giving news to foreign media (whatever past this media has had) doesn't seem to me enough to accuse Makhmalbaf of being a pro-western nor pro-imperialist.
Given the situation in Iran at the time being, I can’t think of how to get a grip on serious, first-hand, relevant information. Even if Makhmalbaf’s statements are tendentious, why not accept them as what they truly are: a symptom of a genuine struggle that is taking place right now, both in the streets and in the spheres of power. Democracy is not only about voting and accepting passively the results (however true or precise, which is far to be likely in these elections). Hitler and Mussolini came out of perfectly democratic elections. It’s also about the struggle to bring true power to the people. That what the youth and women of Teheran and abroad are showing us right now.
| theali 2009-06-15
Have we all forgotten Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University? "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country," Ahmadinejad said at Columbia University. Or his statement that there are insufficient evidence for the Holocaust. Or his claim of lowered inflation and unemployment rates during his presidency. His victory claim is as big a LIE, as his previous statements. He is a delusional and pathological liar that is only good for a sideshow. The only purpose Ahmadinejad can possibly serve is to be an excuse for invasion. | cody45051 2009-06-15
I believe this piece is not a good investigative story. It is reactionary and full of, "I heard it from a friend of a friend," accounts of what is happening right now. I understand that The Real News is trying to get to the roots of what is happening in a chaotic setting and time frame, but how is this short interview from a pro-western filmmaker in Paris telling me what is really happening? As an American I want good investigative news (that is lacking so much in my country), and this story doesn't have the analysis that most Real News Network stories have. Some ancient mythical accounts from Herodotus and others say Thales, a philosopher of sorts, had a part in writing the "seven pillars" (anecdotes) of the Athenian city-state. Two of those pillars were something like, "Know thyself," and "Know thy limits." I believe both of those are relevant in this case. | jayjanson 2009-06-14
Apart from sounding far fetched - a phone call declaring the wealthy former president the winner with no reference to a vote count, Iranian filmmaker Makhmal speaking immediately on the Voice of America, the propaganda weapon of the enemy of democratic Iran in the 60s and backer of Saddam Hussein's million Iranian death bring invasion and eight year horror is sufficient to blatantly self-identification. That Real News would feature this before any facts could be established bring distrust to mind more than any other sensation.
Iranian filmmaker Makhmal just happens to be backing the same candidate backed for many weeks by the United States of America, the superpower currently running four wars of occupation while fomenting civil wars and funding through it financially powerful CIA civil war in sundry other nations as it has always has done.
Disappointedly,
and hoping this article was published in oversight,
Jay Janson, OpEdNews, 105 articles | sunrise 2009-06-14
The young affluent pro-western generations are used, manipulated by the old hand westerner policy makers. Once Mir Hossein Mousavi. Unfortunate if elected, the iran-contra will again repeat the history. And rich oil field will be guarded, occupied and owned by the Mir Hossein Mousavi/ western oil giants. And Mousavi will be another billionaires just like the pureu pro-western president. Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between indigenous people and police in Peru. The Indians have been protesting against laws which will open up communal jungle lands and water resources to oil drilling, logging and mining. Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports from Bagua Grande in Peru. Be very aware, the “green party” is heavy-hand funded by the west to overthrow Ahmadinejad which is a bone in the throat for the profit grip westerner. The one fooled is a victim. google "leuren moret" don't forget to support the real news whom provide us the public forum to debate and discuss. .
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