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### Viewing cable 09BAKU172, IRANIAN FILM DIRECTOR ON IRANIAN ROCK, DRUGS, AND

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09BAKU172 | 2009-03-04 12:05 | 2011-06-26 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Baku
Appears in these articles: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/17/112290/state-department-cables-reveal.html

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    VZCZCXRO9123
    RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
    DE RUEHKB #0172/01 0631205
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 041205Z MAR 09
    FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0860
    INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
    RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
    RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
    RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000172

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2019
    TAGS: PREL PHUM SCUL SNAR AJ IR
    SUBJECT: IRANIAN FILM DIRECTOR ON IRANIAN ROCK, DRUGS, AND
    MOVIE SCENE

    Classified By: POLECON COUNSELOR ROB GARVERICK, REASON 1.5 (B and D)

    Summary
    --------

    ¶1.  (C) An Iranian film Director told Iran watcher that
    Iranian society is becoming more liberal even as the regime
    becomes more "backward."  He described a widespread youth
    culture, embracing all regions and classes, in which
    underground rap and rock music bands are proliferating and
    "classic rock" connoisseurship growing.  He also described
    widespread narcotics use, noting that recreational drugs are
    regarded as "cool" by many, while harder drugs offer escapism
    to many without other outlets.  Despite the breadth of this
    problem, he doubted that the Iranian regime is reay to allow
    meaningful outside access, or otherwise engage the West in
    cooperative anti-narcotics activities.  While noting that
    films can make good domestic profits, the Director noted many
    cumbersome aspects in producing and obtaining permission to
    release Iranian films, with some movies blocked from
    distribution after completion, or even withdrawn after
    release.  End Summary.

    Meeting with Iranian Movie Director
    ------------------------------------

    ¶2.  (C) On February 28 Baku Iran Watcher met with XXXXXXXXXXXX (protect).
     Although not internationally famous, the XXXXXXXXXXXX has produced seven feature films and a
    Persian-language Google produced several "hits."  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    has an apartment in Baku, but primarily stays in Teheran.  He
    has a brother living in Vienna, Virginia and agreed to meet
    with Iran watcher just prior to embarking on his first trip
    to the United States.

    "Iranians Moving Forward; Regime Moving Backward"
    --------------------------------------------- ----

    ¶3.  (C) According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, "80-90 percent of the
    Iranian people have no problem with America;" compared to
    Russia, "we love you."  While he said that the Iranian people
    have a "good feeling" about President Obama, he stressed that
    most people are focusing on their families and "how to
    survive" rather than U.S. or international politics.  He
    characterized Iran as a society where "the people keep moving
    forward while the government is moving backward" on social
    liberalism and cosmopolitanism, and desire for international
    integration.

    Underground Discos and Rock Bands
    ---------------------------------

    ¶4.  (C) He said that urban young people mix with ease in
    parties and get-togethers behind closed doors and said there
    is a proliferation of "artificial discos" operating out of
    private homes or specially rented
    non-descript-from-the-outside apartments.  Bribes and hired
    guards are deployed as necessary, he added.  Alcohol and
    narcotics are easy to obtain, and consumption of the latter
    is often regarded as "cool" among youth.  He described most
    Iranian youth and young adults as "aimless and hopeless," in
    terms of their personal lives.  He decried the lack of
    commonly-available sports facilities and programs and other
    constructive activities that might provide alternatives.

    ¶5.  (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said that he is currently working on a
    film about underground rock music bands in Iran, which he
    claimed are spreading in popularity, name recognition, and
    numbers.  According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, young Iranians avidly keep
    up with the latest rock and rap music trends and are
    especially like heavy metal for its symbolic protest content.
     Young people also compete in assembling collections of
    classic rock, and some have formed unofficial fan clubs for
    old bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.  He said that
    all this music is easy to obtain and download, and denied
    that Rock or Rap is only popular among pampered or urban
    youth: "I guarantee you that many youth and young adults in
    villages are also listening to it," he said.

    Hollywood Films, "Persepolis" Popular
    -------------------------------------

    ¶6.  (C) Despite some widely felt outrage over the film "300"
    and its hugely distorted picture of ancient Iran, he said
    that Hollywood films (including classics) remain very
    popular.  Although most such films cannot be shown in movie
    houses (or are censored if they are), he noted that DVDs for
    home watching are easy and cheap to get.  He said that he
    himself has an "archive" of more than 300 American films.  He
    added that the Marjane Satrapi animated film "Persepolis,"
    which has been sharply condemned by the regime as "anti-Iran
    and anti-Islam," is easy to find and "very popular."
    "Anything the regime condemns immediately becomes desired and
    popular," he noted.

    Narcotics
    ---------

    ¶7.  (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said that he has made a documentary about
    drug addiction in Iran, but has not yet obtained permission
    for its release.  Siamizadeh estimated that over fifty
    percent of adult Iranians are at least "recreational" drug
    users (including opium and hashish); about twenty percent are
    seriously addicted, he claimed.  As an example, he cited a
    restaurant owned by his family in Teheran with eight outside
    employees.  All are regular narcotics users, and one is a
    heroin addict, he said.  Asked if combating narcotics/drug
    addiction might be an area where the West could offer more
    cooperation with Iran, XXXXXXXXXXXX opined that the Iranian
    government would resist any real substantial cooperation:
    "Some of them are involved in the (very lucrative) business,
    while others don't want foreigners to see how bad the
    situation is."

    Movie Producing in Iran
    -----------------------

    ¶8.  (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX is a graduate of the Art and Cinema
    University, which he said accepts thirty students a year and
    is the primary source of Iranian film, TV, and theater
    directors and key production staff.  He said that a separate
    "public broadcasting" school trains students to be government
    news readers and "visual propagandists," subsequently
    employing most of them at the state TV network.

    ¶9.  (C) He described the process of producing a film as
    cumbersome.  After private financial backers are found, "five
    or six" different committees must approve scripts and the
    finished project before it can be released.  He claimed that
    not infrequently finished or near-finished films are banned
    from public distribution, causing the loss of all the
    investment.  Sometimes even released films are withdrawn.
    This threat promotes significant self-censorship by film
    producers and backers, he said.  On the other hand, he said,
    if a film is released, general domestic demand is such that
    good profits can be earned.

    ¶10.  (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX is planning visits to Washington, New York
    and Los Angeles during his upcoming three week visit to the
    USA.  He expressed modest interest in meeting some American
    filmmakers or visiting film facilities, but said that so far
    he had no arrangements to do so.  He is also interested in
    finding out if there are any commercially viable outlets
    and/or financial support for Iranian films that might not
    receive permission for release in Iran.  He is currently
    developing a scenario about a culturally-torn German-Iranian
    woman who after returning to Iran decides at the end to
    embrace her German vice her Iranian heritage.

    DERSE

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