Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with a group of movie directors, scriptwriters, and artists as well as the officials of the IRIB. Speaking during the meeting, His Eminence touched on the important position of the IRIB, particularly the dramatic arts department, and extended his gratitude to the managers and artists of the IRIB for their efforts.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that dramatic arts play an influential role regarding the strategic perspective on the role of the media in the arena of culture and added: "The realities have proved that the IRIB, particularly the dramatic arts department, play an important role in the current and future situation of the country."
His Eminence referred to the IRIB as the center of providing intellectual guidance in society and said that the IRIB should promote pure divine, human, social, cultural, and political teachings in the lives of the people. "And this important position has put important duties on the shoulders of the IRIB officials and artists."
Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies of the Iranian nation make use of dramatic arts in order to influence public opinion and added that this is a sign of the great capacities of such arts.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution touched on the remarks made by some artists during the meeting regarding their emotional and psychological concerns about producing artistic works and the problems of dealing with certain criticisms in this regard, further adding: "Artists have a delicate soul, but they should not be overly sensitive in this regard. And they should carry on their important job in a self-confident manner."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that some of the concerns of the artists are unrealistic and added that some of the criticisms which are leveled against certain movies and serials are logical. He further added that there are certain points which must be taken into consideration in this regard.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that transgressing ethical, religious, and cultural boundaries will cause numerous losses and added: "In certain serials there is no need at all to reflect such issues. And religious boundaries should be observed when making artistic productions."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that reflecting the issue of inappropriate relationship between men and women is totally unnecessary and touched on the true meaning of criticism as a necessary element, further adding: "Along with reflecting the dark side of society, positive characteristics should be reflected as well. And when reflecting the struggle of the heroes of movies and serials against evils, one should act in a way that will lead to the rejection of those negative points. Otherwise, reflecting the negative points will only lead to constant criticism and presenting a bleak picture of society which will promote frustration and despair."
His Eminence further added: "In every story in the battle between good and evil, the healthy motives for battling against evil should also be skillfully reflected so that the audience can develop a realistic image of society in their minds."
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the historical resistance of the Iranian nation against the camp of arrogance is the reason behind the clear enmity of the superpowers towards the Iranian nation. He further stated: "The current era is a unique era from a political perspective, but undoubtedly the Iranian nation will successfully go through this difficult period. And in all movements, including artistic and dramatic works, the obvious realities of this historic period, that is the enmity of the bullying powers against the Iranian nation, should be taken into consideration. And everyone should play a role in countering such enmity."
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the blatant lies of the enemies of the Iranian nation regarding such issues as democracy, human rights, and cooperation with other nations, further adding: "Those who provided Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons in order to commit crimes against the Iranian nation form so-called cultural groups today in order to pursue the same goals. And this is a reality which no one should ignore."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution touched on the ancient history of Iran and said that the Iranian nation is a truly decent and noble nation from a historical point of view.
His Eminence referred to the efforts of foreign networks to transgress the boundaries of hijab and morality and undermine the foundation of the family in Iran and stated: "Those who claim to be the friends of the Iranian nation produce anti-Iran movies and television programs, thereby revealing their enmity towards the history and culture of this honorable nation. And in such circumstances any political dramatic work should be produced in a careful manner so that they are not in line with the goals of the enemies."
Ayatollah Khamenei further expressed his expectations of artists, particularly those active in the arena of producing movies and serials, and said that artists should reflect the historic resistance of the Iranian nation. "In that case artists will turn into the heroes of the real world and their dramatic works will turn out to be more influential and attractive," he noted.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further thanked the artists as well as those in charge of producing TV serials and movies for their efforts and added: "There is an ocean of efforts, innovation, and creativity behind every moment of these great dramatic works. And one should be grateful for such efforts."
Ayatollah Khamenei also thanked the head of the IRIB and the managers of the different parts of the IRIB, particularly the dramatic arts department, and added: "Despite such admirable efforts, there is a great gap between the current situation and what has to be done. And it is possible to make use of the available hardware and software capacities and make greater efforts in order to improve the quality of programs, particularly dramatic works."