Rap & Revolution IranDocumentary about Iranian rappers and revolutionary events in Iran
In a series of interviews, various rappers, singers, actors and journalists talk about current and past events in relation to rap, revolt and protests in Iran. FSK-rated 18 years and older. The screening is followed by a talk with the film’s director Omid Mirnour
In a series of interviews, various rappers, singers, actors and journalists talk about current and past events in relation to rap, revolt and protests in Iran. FSK-rated 18 years and older. The screening is followed by a talk with the film’s director Omid Mirnour
The documentary Rap & Revolution Iran puts Iranian rap in the context of revolt against the Iranian government. The focus is on dissident rappers who were either imprisoned or had to leave the country for their own safety. The documentary is narrated by well-known names such as Xatar, Kool Savas, Nimo, Celo, Justina, Jasmin Shakeri, Basstard, Vahid Silent, Takt32, Sugar MMFK, Jalil, PTK, Amina Aziz, Roxana Samadi and Melissa Khalaj.
Since the revolutionary movement sparked off by the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, thousands of innocent protesters have been arrested and, in some cases, sentenced to death. Among them are the rappers Toomaj Salehi and Saman Yasin. Toomaj Salehi has now been imprisoned for the third time for his music and public protest. Saman Yasin has attempted suicide in prison and is awaiting a final court judgement. In February 2024, rapper Vafadar was arrested after agents of the Iranian regime forced their way into his home; he has now been released on bail.
Other rappers, such as Shahin Najafi, have been issued a death fatwa by the Iranian regime and had to leave the country for their own safety. The documentary also gives a voice to other political prisoners, such as the German national Jamshid Sharmahd, who was abducted by Iranian secret service agents on a business trip to Dubai and taken to Iran, where he was sentenced to death in a sham trial. The documentary also sheds light on events that took place on German soil under the control of the Iranian regime, such as the Mykonos murders in Berlin in 1992, in which four Kurdish-Iranian opposition politicians were killed; or the contract killing of Fereydoon Farrochsad in Bonn in 1992.
The screening will be followed by a talk with the film’s director Omid Mirnour and guests.
