Copyright ynetnews
When Israel reportedly bombed Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, Dana Sameah decided it was time Israelis learned more about Iranians — not through politics, but through culture. Sameah, 42, spokesperson for the Bnei Shimon Regional Council and daughter of Iranian-born parents, is the founder of the Iranian Film Festival, to be held Nov. 24–25 at the Sderot Cinematheque. Recently, she received news that left her moved: the Persian-language opposition channel Iran International, broadcasting from London, will attend and even set up a live broadcast station at the event. “In the end, we’re extending a hand to the Iranian people, separating them from their government,” she said. 'I grew up with two identities' “I was raised with two identities — Persian and Israeli,” Sameah said. “My parents wanted very much to be Israelis, so Iran was almost absent from our lives. When my father spoke Persian to my mother in public, she’d nudge him and say, ‘Speak Hebrew,’ though she said it in Persian,” she laughed. “During my army screening, I didn’t even mention that I spoke Persian. In university, I studied Middle Eastern studies and took a class in Persian reading and writing. A whole world of rich culture and history opened up to me. That was the spark that reconnected me to my roots.” The Iranians are similar to Israelis in their joy for life, openness, and desire for freedom. They prefer to be the ones to bring down the regime themselves, without outside interference. She began researching life in Iran — not politically, but socially and culturally. “I had a dream of showing Israelis what daily life in Iran looks like,” she said. “I had all my lectures ready — I just needed a little push.” That push came, she recalled, “after the Air Force bombed the Natanz reactor. It took an entire air force to get me to finally go public with lectures about everyday life in Iran.” 'Iranians are more like us than we realize' “What Israelis don’t know,” she said, “is how similar Iranians are to us — in culture, joy, openness, and love of freedom.” The choice to hold the festival in Sderot, she added, was deliberate: “It’s about bringing life back to the western Negev and hosting a cultural event for the soul — not just about October 7 — while drawing audiences from outside the region.” The festival will feature films previously screened at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, depicting daily dilemmas that reflect resistance to repression and the desire for freedom. There will also be concerts by artists including Liraz Charhi and Hezi Fanian, and an award ceremony honoring individuals who have helped connect Iran and Israel. Films under restriction Sameah had hoped to screen It Was Just a Minor Accident, a film secretly shot in Iran that won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but was prevented from doing so due to political restrictions. “Showing it here could endanger its creators,” she said. I earned a degree in Middle Eastern studies and took a course in reading and writing Persian. A world of rich culture and history opened up before me — that was the spark that reignited my connection to my roots. While she avoids direct contact with Iranians inside the country — “I don’t want to endanger them,” she said — she closely follows Iranian social media, state channels, and opposition outlets. “That’s how I learn how they view Israel,” she explained. “Recently, the regime’s propaganda channels covered the ultra-Orthodox protest in Jerusalem where bottles were thrown at a Channel 12 reporter, while the opposition media aired messages from families of Israeli hostages.” 'They want to topple the regime themselves' During recent tensions between Israel and Iran, Sameah noticed expressions of support for Israel among Iranians hoping for regime change. “Many celebrated,” she said, “but they prefer to be the ones who bring down the regime themselves. They want change to come from within, without foreign intervention.” When asked how Iranians she meets abroad feel about Israel, she said, “They tell me how much they wish for peace and how tragic it is that the regime prevents it — wasting billions on terror instead of helping its people. Eventually, the regime there will fall, and the more we get to know the Iranian people now, the better the foundation for a wonderful future relationship.”
