»We ask you to echo the rallying cries of Iranians for freedom. Become the voice of those people who are paying with their lives for freedom« Iranian filmmakers recently requested in an open letter. The death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody and the increasing repressions because of the countrywide protests have shocked us and are a cause of great concern to us. As German film schools we have collectively committed ourselves to diversity and against discrimination. We have committed ourselves to questioning existing structures and stereotypes constructively and to address the issues of abuse of power and gender equality. Therefore, we also want to express our solidarity with the protesters with a united voice:

We are deeply concerned about the situation in Iran and especially at the Iranian universities. We con-demn the violent repression of freedom of expression and the right to personal development. We see you, your courageous resistance, and the sacrifices you make. You are not alone. We stand behind you and your commitment to "women, life, liberty"!

Berlin, Cologne, Ludwigsburg, Munich, Potsdam in October 2022

Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF)
ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln
Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (KHM)

Our solidarity goes especially to our students from Iran and their families.

Created on 12.10.2022