News

Los Angeles — A feature-length film that examines the persecution of Iran's Baha'is opens here this week, ahead of a program of screenings throughout the United States and in other countries.

Iranian Taboo is the work of celebrated Dutch-Iranian filmmaker Reza Allamehzadeh.

"In spite of the fact that I'm banned from entering my homeland, I managed to film deep inside Iran with the help of devoted friends who risked their lives to film the footage that I needed," said Mr. Allamehzadeh, who is not a Baha'i.

"I have made several challenging documentaries during my long career as a filmmaker – but none of them was as difficult to make as Iranian Taboo," he said.

"I should have started making this movie sooner," said Mr. Allamehzadeh. "While I was researching, I realized that all different sectors of society based on their gender, ethnicity, language and religion are under pressure, but Baha'is have the highest degree of deprivation – not even their dead are safe and their cemeteries are being attacked. Therefore, my view is to solely focus on the human rights aspect and I wanted to depict how much the rights of Baha'is are being violated."