Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb\'s 2011 Film

Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb's 2011 film This is Not a Film is a remarkable declaration of how oppression cannot stifle human creativity, self-expression, or political activism. As an Iranian viewer, I am particularly moved by Panahi's vision and determination to make This is Not a Film. Although This is Not a Film is a film in the most absolute definition, the documentary has no traditional narrative format with a beginning, a middle, or an end. It bears no resemblance to a Hollywood movie. Its untraditional elements underscore the meaning of This is Not a Film. However, the most important meaning of the title of Panahi's and Mirtahmasb's film refers to the fact that the filmmaker is banned from making movies for a period of twenty years. Panahi has served prison time for making films in the past, has been accused of plotting against the government, and is currently on house arrest at the time of shooting the footage for This is Not a Film. Thus, Panahi is making an ironic political statement. This is Not a Film as far as the Iranian government is concerned, as it is imperative that Panahi not blatently make a film. He had to smuggle the digital footage compiled for This is Not a Film, and used an iPhone for much of the material. As far as artistic, creative, and political merits are concerned, Panahi and Mirtahmasb's creation is a meaningful work of art.

The film reveals much about life in modern Tehran. The apartment building, and its imprisoning nature is a major theme in This is Not a Film. Most people in Tehran will not be on house arrest, but the house arrest only adds to the intensity of the drama. The viewer feels claustrophobic, as we have been sitting inside the same space with Panahi and Mirtahmasb for the duration of their film. Panahi refuses to be trapped by the oppressive regime. Filmmaking liberates him, which shows how political activists do not need to be confined by their physical prisons. Panahi's frustration is palpable, as he talks to the camera and vents. He makes the "unfilm" both as a personal project because he needs to create his art, and also as a political statement so that the world can see what oppression does to a society. Most of Panahi's regular canon of work, his prior films, have been overtly political. He shares some of his stories on camera, speaking to the viewer about scripts he has written including one about an Iranian woman whose parents lock her up in the house because she wants to go to college. The similarities between his protagonist's position and his real life position makes Panahi's political message all the more powerful.