TEHRAN – Mehrdad Khoshbakht, the director of “Abadan 11, 60”, has said that his films represent Iranians’ resistance during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Speaking during a press conference on Monday after the premiere of the movie at the 38th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran, he said, “My main resource for writing the screenplay was ‘Frequency 11, 60’, a book by Fazlollah Saberi, which is about radio, the only medium accessible for most people during the war.” 

The film relates the people’s fight against Iraqi forces in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan during the early months of the Iran-Iraq war. It also narrates the key role played by the radio in mobilizing civilians for the battle against the Iraqis.  

“When we talk about war, we always think that only the soldiers on the front fought against the enemies, but there were lots of ordinary people who were fighting barehanded behind the fronts,” producer Hassan Kamali said at the press conference.

Critic Keivan Amjadian also noted that “Abadan 11, 60” is about the media’s key role during wartime. 

Starring Alireza Kamali, Hamidreza Mohammadi, Vida Javan, Shabnam Gudarzi and Hassan Majuni, the film was produced at the Owj Arts and Media Organization, the Tehran-based institution that produces revolutionary works in art and cinema.

Photo: Director Mehrdad Khoshbakht (L) and cast member Alireza Kamali attend a press conference during the 38th Fajr Film Festival at Tehran’s Mellat Cineplex on February 3, 2020. (Mehr/Hamid Vakili)

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