The Silent Majority Speaks (2010)

The Iranian presidential elections held on June 12, 2009 led to a great deal of civil unrest. Supporters of Mousavi, the most reformist of the four candidates permitted to participate, had high hopes of victory. But the official results placed the sitting conservative president Ahmadinejad way ahead. Reports of widespread election fraud led to demonstrations, disturbances, violent opposition and a number of deaths. Countless cameras, many of them on mobile phones, filmed the events. These on-the-spot recordings form the backbone of the documentary The Silent Majority Speaks, made by an anonymous collective. Young Iranians passionately express their hope for a change. At night, the alternative protest chants of "Allahu Akbar" resound from the rooftops. Images of the streets of Tehran blend seamlessly with archive footage of earlier and often bloodily suppressed resistance movements. The voice-over emphasizes the importance of recording events to prevent silence and forgetfulness, and characterizes the Green Movement (the opposition color is green) as a new phase in the now century-long struggle against authoritarian rulers. The world-famous footage of a young demonstrator dying is accompanied here by the 1906 battle song Tulips Rise from the Blood of the Nation's Youth.