Thiago Avila, emphasizing that U.S. media always lies, stressed that filmmaking can be an action against these media lies.
The Lies of American Media About Iran
Thiago Avila (Brazilian Professor of Sociology) in an interview stated: “As we all know, Americans and Israelis lie in their media about Iran. They have done this before, they continue to do so, and they will continue this trend in the future.
By asking questions to my audience, I try to take action against these actions of Israel and America. For example, I ask them, ‘Do you know what the largest missile power in the Middle East is?‘ And naturally, the answer is specifically Iran, and with this simple trick of posing questions and providing answers, I take action against these media on my own part; of course, this is an example, and I ask questions in various cases, including medicine, etc., in which cases Iran is also considered among the top countries in the Middle East.”
Brazilian Media’s Portrayal of Iran
Avila spoke about the type of treatment and coverage of Iranian media in Brazil: “Unfortunately, Brazilian media does not talk much about Iran, and if they want to talk about Iran, they will not mention the positive points. This is the second time I have come to Iran, and I must say that there is a big difference between what the media narrates about Iran and what is seen in reality.”
There is another narrative about Iran in Brazilian media, and it is said that women do not have the right to study at all. What exists in reality is very different from what is raised in Brazilian media.
The Reality of Women’s Rights in Iran vs. Media Portrayal
He added: “For example, in Brazilian media, it is said that women in Iran do not have the right to go to university or even cannot be present outside the home, which if we travel to Iran, we will realize that this is not the case in reality. I saw several people in the city of Qom who were students and studying, while they even had several children.
Despite this, there is another narrative about Iran in Brazilian media, and it is said that women do not have the right to study at all. What exists in reality is very different from what is raised in Brazilian media.”
The Influence of U.S. Media
This professor of sociology continued: “The reason for this is the media activities of the United States, which have also affected our media, and this effect is undeniable.
Unfortunately, these media lie and constantly pay attention to negative issues and try to show these negative points, while they close their eyes to the positive points and they are completely trying to ignore them.
If you tell the people of Brazil that women drive in Iran, no one will believe it because the same media have influenced their audience’s minds and they cannot accept some truths.”
Cultural Misconceptions and the Role of U.S. Propaganda
Avila spoke about the Brazilian people’s knowledge of Iranian music: “Americans only pay attention to the promotion and advertising of their own culture, and they have tried in relation to Brazil to make the people of this country only familiar with American culture and not have knowledge of other cultures and other countries.
If you tell the people of Brazil that women drive in Iran, no one will believe it.
For example, when Trump in his previous presidency ordered the assassination of Martyr Soleimani and martyred him, people in Brazil believed that a terrorist belonging to an Arab country had been killed; people’s information was to the extent that not only had they accepted the accusation of being a terrorist, they did not even know that Iran is not an Arab country and is a Persian-speaking country.”
The Potential of Iranian Cinema in Brazil
Regarding the screening of Iranian films in Brazil, he said: “The people of Brazil are very fond of cinema and watching movies, and a small number of people, including filmmakers, films, and in general, are familiar with Iranian cinema.
Of course, I personally am not very fond of watching movies and cinema, and I cannot say exactly which films from Iranian cinema are more watched in Brazil, but in my opinion, if a joint cooperation is created between Iranian and Brazilian filmmakers, it can help the cultural closeness between Iran and Brazil.
Surely this is a blessed, important, and possible event, and we can take a serious action against the propaganda of imperialism and American media groups through cinema and making various films and series, and therefore we should not ignore cinema.”
Filmmaking in Brazil
At the end of his remarks, Avila spoke about the filmmaking conditions in Brazil: “Filmmaking in Brazil is a very easy task, and most of our actors and artists who are in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro easily receive licenses and make films, and there is no special problem for filmmakers in this regard.
Some time ago, even one of the female actors of Brazilian cinema received a prestigious award from a film festival, and every year, works from Brazilian cinema are usually well received in the world.”
From: ilna