Keywan Karimi

Keywan Karimi

Born	کیوان کریمی 1985 Baneh, Kurdistan, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Education	Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran
Occupation	Film Director
Years active	2003 – present

Keywan Karimi (Persian: کیوان کریمی‎‎ ; born 21 September 1985) is an Iranian independent filmmaker of Kurdish origin. He graduated with ad degree communication studies form the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran. Karimi began his work with a series of short documentary films which were a critique of human life in contemporary Iran. He was sentenced to six years in prison and 223 lashes because of the content of his films.^[1]

Style

Karimi specializes in a style of film making which is a totally different way of approaching cinema. This unique view is part inspired by the Situationist International of which Guy Debord is an example. He has developed an interest in examining and critiquing the roots of radical life in society. His unique cinematic view led Behrouz Safdari (translator of the Situationist book in Farsi) to dedicate his articles to Karimi with the phrase "I dedicated my book to Keywan Karimi for his pure consciousness in seeing life and creative unpretentious in his film making".^[2] Raoul Vaneigem, who is an active member of the Situationist movement, wrote a piece to express his appreciation when he saw Keywan's documentary film:^[3]

“”To Keywan Karimi ; The wall is a mirror | A mirror of the house, of the city, of the world | Reflections of every shape and form stream by it as clouds do in the sky | We have learned to go through the mirror so what was closed will open up | The freedom of the walls breaks down the prison walls | When reality is unveiled, dreams become reality | Under the clothing of creeds and of ideas, what is lived is always bare | Then nothing more conceals a human being from himself | Someday the walls will have the transparency of our desires“”

Filmography

"Anti Earthquake Conex",^[4] "Man and Bucket",^[5] "the Children of Depth" , "Act"
"Broken Border" is a documentary film about smuggling petrol at Iranian Kurdistan borders with Iraq. It won the special Juries Award in Tolfa^[6] Mostremp ^[7] and Leiden Film Festival. It received the Best Documentary Film Award in Filofest Slovenia, FIC Vagón Mexico,^[8] and received the Silver Aleph at the 13th Beirut film festival.^[9]
"The Adventure of Married Couples" has participated in more than 40 film festivals^[10] such as the San Sebastian , Zurich, and Fribourg International Film Festival.^[11] It won several prizes, including an award at the 18th festival la fila de cortometrajes and SURrealidades festival in Columbia.^[12] This eleven-minute black and white film without dialogue is a story of the everyday life of a labouring couple based on a story by Italo Calvino.^[13]
"Writing on the City"

Karimi new film cleared by revolutionary guard when he was in jail, it was in post production and archive photo of "Rashid" project was delete.

Sentence and Lashes

On December 14, 2013 at 8 a.m. the Revolutionary Guard showed up at Keywan’s house with an arrest warrant. They took him, his hard drives and other confiscated materials to Evin Prison where he was interrogated and kept in solitary confinement for two weeks. On December 26, 2013 Keywan was released on $100.000 bail.^[14] Between March 2014 and September 2015 Keywan made eight court appearances to fight his case, regardless of any of the evidence he provided. On October 13, 2015 he was sentenced by the Islamic Revolutionary Court to six years imprisonment and 223 lashings for “propagating against the ruling system” and “insulting religious sanctities, Accused of insulting the regime after a music clip and documentary film regardless of the fact that they had never been screened or shared online. "Writing on the City" Is a 60 minutes documentary film which employs the unusual and unique angle of focusing on slogans written on the wall and Graffiti in Tehran city. It never been shown in public, apart from a trailer on Youtube.^[15]

National and International response to the prison and flogging

On 30 October 2015, a group of well-known Philosophy, Sociologist and Human Rights activist wrote letter with subject “Poetry, a crime against the state”.^[16]
On 19 October 2015 Le Conseil d’Administration de L’ARP,^[17] 24 October Associazioni autoriali del settore audiovisivo (100autori),^[18] 29 October Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani (SNGCI) ^[19] publish different letter in defense keywan karimi.
On 3 November 2015, 45 European Parliament Member (MEPs) various political groups sign petition in support of karimi.^[20]
On 12 November Iran Human Rights and 100 Autori cinema association organized press conference in Casa del Cinema for discuss about Karimi and support him by sending a letter to Italian Prime Minister.^[21] Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Daniele Vicari, Greta Scarano, Jose Luis Rebordinos and Claudia Gerini sent video message to the press conference.^[22]^[23]
On 19 November 2015 San Sebastian Film Festival make protest by statement and Petition for calculate signature from people around world.^[24]
On 6 December 2015 more than 130 Iranian documentary filmmaker wrote letter to To Head of the Iranian Judiciary Mr.Sadeq Larijani.^[25]
On 15 October Iranian Writers Association ^[26] and Iran's Pen ^[27] protest keywan Sentence.
On 22 December 2015 Pen International ask the Iranian authorities to cancel Keywan Karimi prison and flogging. They calls all member and Pen branch to send appeals for Iranian Government.^[28] in 11 January letter of writer and filmmaker published in Pen official website.^[29]
On 9 December 2015 Punto de Vista International Documentary Film Festival decide to make 223 words film ^[30] that it is response of film-makers from all around the world in defence of his situation.^[31] Director like Agnès Varda, Andrés Duque, James Benning, Montxo Armendáriz, Victor Kossakovsky, Lynne Sachs, Alan Berliner, Patricio Guzmán, Eugenio Polgovsky, Fernando Arrabal, Lynne Sachs, Basilio Martín Patino participated in film.^[32]
On 7 January 2016 more than 668 filmmak from different country signature a letter to Head of the Iranian Judiciary Mr. Larijani ask him to act immediately in the exercise of him duties so that this punishment is cancelled and Keywan Karimi can travel without fear and continue his work.^[33] this letter signature by Abderrahmane Sissako, Claude Lanzmann, Dominik Moll, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Nicolas Philibert, Julie Bertucelli, Michel Ocelot, Pascale Ferran, Catherine Corsini, Claire Denis, Antonin Peretjatko, Danny Degrave.^[34]

In 21 October 2015, Columbia University professor Hamid Dabashi wrote an article that was about Writing on the City film and his travel to Russia where he met Karimi. Dabashi compared Stalinist vulgarities with Iran current situation.^[35]

On 22 January 2016 Amnesty International start a campaign ^[36] and petition in defense of Keywan Karimi.^[37]

Appeals Court

He has been informed by the Appeals Court that five years of his six-year sentence have been suspended , but that he has to serve the one remaining year in jail, plus undergo 223 lashes and pay a fine of 20 million rials. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed.^[38]

References

External links

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