Since the post election fraud protest, the Iranian opposition protestors have become their own best advocates for destroying the image created by demonization by the Western media of a monolithic Islamic fanatic face of Iran supposedly united behind the “supreme leader.” The whole world has become witness to the fact that no such unified anti Western entity exists, making it much harder to justify any direct invasion by the outside world or even broad sanctions like the gasoline embargo which would hurt the majority of the iranian people not the regime. Long before this coup by the people, a young peacemaker, ordinary US citizen, film maker, who had no Iranian ethnicity, spoke no Persian and had never been to Iran before, went in 2005 to see Iran for himself and learn what the average person there really thought and felt about life, peace, the West, etc.
When I first saw a screening of this film last year in San Jose, I wept for joy and decided on the spot to become friends with the film maker Brenden Hamilton and help him not only to promote the film but promote citizen diplomacy and peace with the Iranian people. I did his interview for Payvand News, Pejvak of Persia and in Persian Heritage Magazine. Brenden is the very best that American youth has to offer us, his kindness and compassion are obvious as is his instant love and appreciation of Iranian culture and youth. His casual technique of interviewing young people all around Iran is very effective as is his way of dispelling lies and propaganda in the West about Iranians with subtle but firm and non controversial ways… like the passive resistance of the protestors. He comes by it honestly as his late mother was a great activist and advocate for the Navajo especially the women, on Big Mountain Reservation in Arizona. In the film I saw my friends Jerry Dekker and Farzaneh Khademi, who also starred in the film Bam 6.6 by another person who has become my dear friend who shares our love and passion for peace and a democratic Iran.
I really want to thank Brenden for making this wonderful film about Iran and the kindenss and generosity of the Iranian people and my thanks also go to Mehdi Ghafourifar for helping to produce it. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who wants to hear the voices of the youth in Iran.
http://www.amazon.com/Iran-Hot-Tea-Cool-Conversations/dp/B001UPO294/ref=cm_cr-mr-title
