Ellen Laipson will moderate a 30 minute panel discussion after the screening of The Green Wave, a documentary by filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi that explores the Iranian election protests of 2009. The film, which will be shown at the Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival this Wednesday, June 22, at 5:30 PM, is part of USIP and AFI’s “Peacebuilding on Screen” initiative, which is committed to using documentary as a catalyst for public discourse and social change.
The synopsis of The Green Wave is as follows:
In early 2009, a new
generation of Iranians hoped for change through the upcoming
presidential
elections. Fueled by youthful exuberance and media technology, a
groundswell-the
so-called Green Wave-emerged to challenge the status quo, and caused a
seismic
shift in the political climate. A new brand of revolution seemed to be
at hand.
All polls predicted challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi would be the
country’s next
president; however, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the victor,
prompting a
backlash of unparalleled violence and oppression and a massive surge of
human-rights violations that continues
today.
In this
powerful and urgent documentary, filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi integrates
animation
with live-action footage, testimonials, and posts from courageous
Iranian
bloggers, who dared to tell the world about the anatomy of the movement
and its
devastating consequences. The Green
Wave is a remarkable portrait of modern political rebellion,
an
exposé of government-sanctioned violence, and a vision of peace and hope
that
continued resistance may galvanize a new Iran.
To view more information about The Festival, click here.