When Majidi said about the suffering of the homeland; An award that became a platform of protest

After receiving the award for the best film of the 2026 Busan Festival, Majid Majidi pointed out the American and Israeli attacks on Iran, the deaths of Minab children and the killing of civilians.

According to Mehr's reporter, in addition to being an opportunity to introduce works and win awards, attending international film festivals can also be an opportunity to raise human and social concerns. The opportunity that Majid Majidi used after receiving the award for the best film of Busan Festival 2026 for the film "Midday Food" and spoke about the situation of the people of Iran and the children who were victims of war.

In this ceremony, Majidi recalled the tragedy of Minab children's lives in the American and Zionist attack on our country and said: On the first day of the attack, 168 innocent children were dismembered, so that the bodies of some of these children were never found. They targeted houses, universities, and residential areas, and we lost 4,000 to 5,000 people.

The importance of Majidi's words should be seen beyond a comment on the sidelines of receiving the award. In a situation where he could only talk about the film, his professional success and his cinematic achievement, he devoted a part of his international podium to remembering the suffering of war victims.

Meanwhile, some Iranian artists prefer to remain silent about the country's political and social issues when receiving awards or foreign events, while others avoid sensitive issues with general and cautious hints.

In a situation where war and military attacks target the lives of civilians and especially innocent children, Iranian artists have a human and social responsibility in addition to their professional activity. Attending international festivals and events is an opportunity for the voice of the Iranian people to be heard by the public opinion of the world and the reality of what is happening to families, children and defenseless citizens is not lost among one-sided narratives.

In such situations, the global platform is not the only place to introduce works, receive awards and record individual successes; Rather, it can become a tool for defending the truth, condemning violence and demanding peace.