Documentary film: 'Listen to Iran's People: a Call for Peace'

Margot Smith, a Berkeley filmmaker and retired social scientist, will present her latest film, "Listen to Iran's People: A Call for Peace." Smith filmed this documentary in Iran in March, 2007 during her trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. This will be the second "report-back" from that trip that PASMC has put on...the first having been a talk in June by Catherine Thomasson of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Paul Kawika Martin, Political Director for the national Peace Action organization, also made the trip.

"Listen to Iran's People: A Call for Peace" was filmed during a particularly tense time between the U.S. and Iranian governments. At that time 23 "peace delegates" from the U.S., traveling on behalf of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, visited the cities of Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Qom. This video recounts their welcome by Iran's Vice President, and records the thoughts of Iranian people on the street as well as students, professors and imams. Significantly, the film helps demonstrate their desire for peace.

Smith comments, "All women in Iran are required by law to cover their heads, so this film was videoed in a scarf, a chador and a hajib, on various occasions. It was not easy, the hajib got in the way of the camera, hearing, (and) seeing, and it was too hot.

"We were permitted visits with conservative people who were not fearful of talking to us. We had to travel in the whole group of 23, they were concerned about our safety as they did not want to have an international incident occur. Our email was cut off after the first day. We had to be careful about what we said, emailed, wrote, phoned.

"Despite the difficulties, we felt that Iran's people were very open with us. they had no problems with criticizing their government, they made us feel welcome, and said that they 'love' Americans but do not like our government."

Come see this first-hand account of how the Iranian people really feel.