An Iranian children’s film approved by the Islamic Republic is being shown in Israel, according to a revelation by Iran expert Dr. Thamar E. Gindin. Gindin’s revelation also revealed that the film was marketed outside Iran by a Malaysian company that appears to be concealing the export of Iranian media not subject to sanctions. In addition, the film’s makers have promised to transfer the proceeds to Gaza.
According to Gindin, the film is considered outside Iran extinction and in Israel as Namer Mi Shemedaber is currently only shown in Iran and Israel, but is also planned to be shown in Russia and Turkey. The original film was titled Bache-Zerang (Smart child) and is reportedly the most successful Iranian animated film of all time. It was a joint production of Honar Pooya Studios and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults of the Islamic Republic, a department of the regime’s Ministry of Education.
“The film was shown for the first time at the Fajr Film Festival in January 2023, where it was nominated in several categories and won the award for Best Animated Film,” commented Gindin, “noting that it was also the only animated film to participate in the festival.”
According to online information, the film will be released in late September 2023 and has already grossed nearly $15 million. “Just in November, the studios announced that 1% of all the film’s proceeds would be donated to children in the Gaza Strip,” Gindin explained. “You could translate that as: ‘$140,000 will be transferred to the Hamas authorities, who may decide whether or not to share the proceeds with Gaza residents.'”
Disturbing content, questionable distribution
The film revolves around Mohsen Rahmati, a boy who loves superhero movies and can talk to animals. Mohsen then befriends an endangered Mazandaran (Iranian) tiger and decides to help it. At the end of the film, the hunters realize that they made a mistake by hunting his fellow tigers.
Nevertheless, in Israeli online discussion groups, many parents expressed dismay at alleged themes of violence, self-sacrifice and even provocative scenes reminiscent of the October 7 massacre.
Gindin described the film as propagating Shiite religious themes. “The guardian of the forest is a doe protected by a man of whom we only see a silhouette with a radiant face, and this is exactly how the saints of Islam are traditionally portrayed,” she explained. “Shiite tradition tells of Emam Reza, who could also speak the language of animals and saved a doe from a hunter who regretted his intention to hunt. This legend appears twice in the film: once it is told to the main character during the film and once as the plot of the entire film.”
Gindin continued: “Hamed Jafari, one of the creators of the film, also stressed in an interview that his aim is to educate children about the sanctity of the Imams and Fatima through his films, and he also commented that he does not rule out making a film in memory of the ‘hero Qasem Soleimani.'”
“It is important to understand that artists in Iran cannot release a film or any other artistic product without obtaining a license from the Ministry of Islamic Guidance,” Gindin commented, stressing that this means that a children’s film shown in Israel was actually approved by the extremist Iranian regime.
The film was produced in two versions: one for distribution in Iran and one for the rest of the world. In the world version, the film is called “Extinction” and is distributed by a Malaysian company. This is particularly strange considering that Iranian films are shown all over the world, including in Israel, without hiding their origin.
“Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world where Iranians do not need a visa,” Gindin explained. “Magic Picture Films, the supposedly Malaysian company, may actually be owned by or working on behalf of the Islamic Republic. This company, despite being based in Malaysia, only distributes Iranian films and cartoons, which adds to this concern. Setting up Iranian shell companies to evade sanctions is a common practice of government agencies, as a former government official who is not currently living in Iran told me.”
The response from the film’s Israeli distributor, Red Cape, indicates that they were not aware of all the results of this investigation and continue to not believe them. The starting point was a post by a concerned mother in a parents’ group.”
Red Cape, the film’s official distributor in Israel, responded to Gindin’s revelation, commenting among other things that the film was bought by a French company “specializing in children’s films,” which in turn brought it from Malaysia and was shown at the Annecy Festival, where it received an enthusiastic response. Red Cape also added that all proceeds from ticket sales in Israel would stay in the country, stressed their contribution to the evacuees from the north through free film screenings, and further commented that “it is not right to reject other cultures.”
“Our problem is not the Iranian films, which are great and offer a fascinating insight into Iranian society,” the Iran expert added. “The main problem is that a Malaysian front company distributes films without informing its partners abroad and then presents them as ‘Malaysian films.’ This allows propaganda and sanctions to spread unhindered.”
Red Cape has not yet responded The Jerusalem Post’s comment request.
