Jerusalem, 25 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Two years after Iran-backed Hamas terrorists stormed southern Israel, residents of Sderot — one of the hardest-hit communities — launched its first-ever film festival dedicated to Iranian cinema.
The two-day event, which opened on Monday, has already drawn criticism from the Iranian news agency Fars, which accused “Zionists” of taking Iranian films “hostage.”
Dana Sameach, the Israeli founder of the festival, and Younes Sadaghiani, an Iranian-born political analyst hosted by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, told The Press Service of Israel that the festival is about cultural connection, not political confrontation.
“We wanted to do this festival for two reasons: first, to show that from the area of the worst catastrophe in the history of Israel, there is not only grief but culture, with people who know how to reach out their hand in peace and hope for a better future. Second, we wanted to honor Farsi culture. There are many Israelis of Farsi origin, and we want to honor the culture of the Iranian people,” Sameach explained.
Sadaghiani emphasized that Persians and Israelis are not enemies.
“I think the Persian culture and Israeli culture are very, very similar. So when people say they want to make us enemies, we are not enemies. Persians and Israelis are not enemies. It’s the Islamic Republic that is the issue, so we need to get rid of the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic is not Iran,” he told TPS-IL.
They shared with TPS-IL a report from the Fars website claiming Israel “is attempting to take another Iranian film hostage.” It was referring to the possibility that a film by Asghar Farhadi, one of the most prominent Iranian directors, will be screened at the festival’s closing ceremony.
The report also accused Israel of “killing more than a thousand Iranians during the sacred twelve days of war,” referencing the 12-day air confrontation between israel and Iran last June.
Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured over 3,000.
The festival includes not only award-winning Iranian films but also Persian music, food, talks, and cultural performances. The program has received full encouragement from Sderot’s municipality, Sameach said, and hundreds are expected to attend.
Sameach added she hopes the festival, titled “Nowruz,” which means “new day” in Farsi, will signal a new dawn in relations with the Iranian people and grow into a yearly cultural tradition in a city still rebuilding from October 7.
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