00:01:56:00 00:01:58:07 Well, Mohammad dear I’ve brought the camera, 00:01:58:16 00:02:04:13 but of course only your voice will be recorded regarding the memories that we talked about. 00:02:05:02 00:02:06:12 That means you’d only record my voice. 00:02:06:16 00:02:07:18 Yep, I will only record your voice. 00:02:07:20 00:02:08:18 Well OK. I’m ready man. 00:02:09:15 00:02:11:16 Hold on. 00:02:12:15 00:02:18:00 Yep. This goes all back to the sixth sense. 00:02:18:10 00:02:20:23 What one thinks about and it materializes. 00:02:21:07 00:02:23:01 I guess it has must have happened to you to. 00:02:23:08 00:02:25:23 It has happened to me more than a hundred times which 00:02:26:15 00:02:29:21 I don’t know what its popular meaning is. 00:02:30:03 00:02:33:15 But my father used to say “molf”, which means when you say something and then it happens whether good or bad. 00:02:34:02 00:02:43:20 It’s a premonition. When something bad happens he says: “Don’t give a bad omen”. 00:02:44:11 00:02:46:21 It has happened to me more than a hundred times. 00:02:47:00 00:02:52:16 The sixth sense has faded now. I have lots on my mind and so many things have happened to us. 00:02:53:00 00:02:57:16 But imagine being a kid and giving a bad omen that is really something… 00:02:57:21 00:02:58:19 Where you there during the war time? 00:02:59:08 00:03:00:12 - Yeah! - You actually remember?! 00:03:00:18 00:03:06:20 I was born in 1972. I was 7 when the war broke out. I had finished the first grade. 00:03:06:24 00:03:10:24 - Would want to talk about it? The sixth sense? - Yeah. 00:03:11:04 00:03:14:13 Well just hang on a second I’ll get the camera… 00:03:14:18 00:03:16:09 What are you doing? Why have you brought a camera with you? 00:03:16:14 00:03:17:08 It’s nothing. 00:03:17:12 00:03:20:01 - You were just supposed to record my voice. - I thought I’d record your voice. 00:03:20:04 00:03:23:16 Not here Mahmoud dear, this is an office…I’m scared if someone comes in. 00:03:23:20 00:03:24:14 There’s no-one here. 00:03:24:17 00:03:27:06 We haven’t coordinated or talked about it with anybody. You just take out your camera, 00:03:27:10 00:03:28:07 I’ll get into trouble. 00:03:28:10 00:03:31:10 I know but this is just an ordinary camera, it isn’t anything special. Nothing will happen until someone comes in, 00:03:31:12 00:03:32:22 nobody will come in now. 00:03:33:06 00:03:36:19 Swear to God, I’ll get into trouble. This is my office. You weren’t supposed to bring a camera. 00:03:36:23 00:03:37:23 In the research that I’m doing… 00:03:38:02 00:03:42:21 This is not what we agreed upon Mahmoud. You were supposed to record my voice and do a research on it. 00:03:43:24 00:03:48:17 - Swear to God if anybody… - Just give a second…here…I’m sorry. 00:03:49:13 00:03:54:17 If anybody comes in, it will cause me problems, you won’t be accountable for anything. 00:03:54:21 00:03:56:01 No man. I will be accountable. 00:03:56:06 00:03:57:05 I have to answer to hundred of people. 00:03:57:08 00:03:59:19 I will be accountable…I will be accountable…go on. 00:03:59:24 00:04:03:14 Mahmoud dear. Just record my voice if you can and do your research. 00:04:03:18 00:04:06:19 It’s nothing special. I just want to have you picture. 00:04:06:24 00:04:10:04 The sense developed when you are explaining is very interesting. 00:04:10:11 00:04:13:10 - I will get into trouble, swear to God. - No man. So you were saying. 00:04:13:15 00:04:15:00 I’m scared swear to God. My boss will pick on me. 00:04:15:03 00:04:17:07 I’ll take care of that, all right? 00:04:17:11 00:04:20:11 You say that now but I won’t find any trace of you tomorrow. 00:04:22:24 00:04:26:11 Yeah this bad premonition was costing me dearly. 00:04:27:07 00:04:34:14 In a way whatever occurred to me would actually happen. It was strange. 00:04:34:23 00:04:40:05 A few months ago again something occurred to me and it happened. 00:04:40:10 00:04:42:14 Maybe if I had worked on it I would have turned into something, which I didn’t. 00:04:42:19 00:04:44:14 I never paid any attention. 00:04:45:12 00:04:48:17 Allow me to tell you about a memory. It’s very interesting. 00:04:48:23 00:04:53:21 May be it could be a plot intriguing a story. The war had just broken out. 00:04:54:04 00:05:00:21 I mean I didn’t know that it had, nobody knew. I was in the second grade. 00:05:01:02 00:05:03:19 It was the first day that we wanted to go to school. 00:05:04:02 00:05:09:06 I was putting on my clothes. My father had gone out to buy breakfast. 00:05:09:10 00:05:12:17 Now that I’m thinking about it he had gone out to buy bread. 00:05:14:24 00:05:18:10 I was all dressed up and was about to sit down to have breakfast 00:05:18:16 00:05:31:08 when a whistle like sound turned into a mess. 00:05:31:16 00:05:34:09 My sisters woke up, everyone ran out to the door. 00:05:35:09 00:05:38:04 We wanted to get out when my father came in. 00:05:39:16 00:05:43:01 He was very frightened. He said: “Canon ball, canon ball”. 00:05:43:07 00:05:48:23 I thought he meant football, a round thing that we played with it. 00:05:49:11 00:05:54:19 Later I realized that he meant something sharp. 00:05:54:23 00:05:57:07 I found out that it was a metal thing that they would put inside a tube, 00:05:57:23 00:06:01:00 would pull the string and it would be projected. 00:06:01:09 00:06:04:00 This had directly hit the alley behind our house. 00:06:04:20 00:06:08:10 A massive explosion, the glasses were shattered, we were very scared. 00:06:08:19 00:06:16:04 My father came and said: “Iraq, Iraq has attacked”, I had no definition of war, of Iraq, and of…I don’t know. 00:06:16:09 00:06:19:19 Any way, everything changed. The schools were closed that day. 00:06:20:04 00:06:22:03 My father put all our belongings away. 00:06:22:07 00:06:28:22 The carpets were rolled, the fridge was unplugged, and the air-conditioner came off its frame. 00:06:29:02 00:06:31:21 My father put everything inside the bathroom. 00:06:32:10 00:06:33:09 Our bathroom was in the hall way. 00:06:33:19 00:06:35:12 Imagine a 6 square meter room. 00:06:35:17 00:06:41:09 He put everything on top of each other and locked the room. 00:06:44:01 00:06:53:10 Man, the house was empty and the wooden doors would bang. 00:06:54:05 00:06:57:22 Iraq would fire with multiple rocket launchers. 00:07:03:20 00:07:08:11 The sound would echo in the house and the doors would bang, it was terrifying. 00:07:08:16 00:07:11:08 It would make noises. 00:07:12:07 00:07:15:19 We were mischievous and we would repeat ha…ha…ha. 00:07:16:01 00:07:18:06 The sound would echo. We were very scared. 00:07:19:07 00:07:23:15 The house was empty. Some of our school books were scattered in the rooms. 00:07:23:23 00:07:29:04 My toys, I had a coloured toy train that would run on a track when it was switched on. 00:07:29:10 00:07:32:05 The train was in one corner and its tracks in the other corner. 00:07:32:09 00:07:38:21 My Lego, our books, pens and notebooks were scattered in the rooms. 00:07:39:01 00:07:44:01 My father took our hands and we went to Bakhtiari Garage in order to go to Shoushtar, a safe place. 00:07:44:09 00:07:45:12 Why to Shoushtar? 00:07:45:15 00:07:47:08 Well Iraq had never attacked Shoushtar. 00:07:47:12 00:07:51:20 My father intended to move us away from the war epicentre. 00:07:52:01 00:07:54:20 He took us there and we got on the mini-bus. 00:07:55:00 00:07:59:16 I remember it was very crowded. Everyone wanted to go to where? 00:07:59:21 00:08:00:24 To Shoushtar. 00:08:01:21 00:08:09:01 We too got on the mini-bus. I sat next to my mother, my sisters and my father with a small hand bag. 00:08:09:06 00:08:13:15 We had put everything we needed inside a hand bag and took it with us. 00:08:13:21 00:08:18:17 Mahmoud, I don’t know why but at that very moment a strange music came to my mind. 00:08:33:23 00:08:37:03 May be you heard it in the car or in your subconscious. 00:08:37:07 00:08:48:12 No, no. A few years later I heard it in a war movie which was about the attack on Khorramshahr, the exile, the escape, etc. 00:08:49:00 00:08:58:10 This music came to my mind passed my subconscious and 20 years later it appeared in a film on immigration, escape, 00:08:59:02 00:09:08:01 Khorramshahr and war. Well this could be among one of those incidents that occurred late but it did occur. 00:09:08:12 00:09:11:21 Any way man, we set off and departed for Shoushtar. 00:09:12:06 00:09:16:12 We got off in the bus terminal and walked through the dusty roads 00:09:16:16 00:09:19:07 and arrived at a house which belonged to my sister, it was about 3000 square meters. 00:09:19:16 00:09:25:01 Everybody was there, my brother-in-law’s aunt, his sister, everyone was there. 00:09:25:12 00:09:28:03 The war had somehow made everyone become friends. 00:09:28:06 00:09:31:13 The family had come a little closer. Each family was staying in one room. 00:09:31:17 00:09:34:21 Every one had escaped from Ahvaz and was there. 00:09:35:00 00:09:37:06 I think we were the last group. 00:09:37:18 00:09:41:09 Our share from the house was a basement which was around 10 to 12 square meters. 00:09:41:15 00:09:50:23 We settled there. We had to climb down 10 – 12 mud stairs to a dark, damp and humid room. 00:09:51:09 00:09:53:24 Imagine we stayed there for 9 months. 00:09:54:03 00:09:56:03 All of you? You abandoned school and studying… 00:09:56:06 00:09:59:13 We all did. I studied my second grade at home and just sat the exams. 00:10:01:07 00:10:08:08 We would all gather in one place, either my sister would teach me or my brother-in-law’s cousin. 00:10:11:24 00:10:17:00 I’ll show you my report card if you come to our house one time. 00:10:20:21 00:10:23:21 I still have my report card which is beautiful. 00:10:26:22 00:10:29:19 Whenever I look at it, it reminds me of those days. 00:10:29:24 00:10:32:08 You mean you went there? 00:10:32:13 00:10:39:19 We were there for 9 months. My father returned to Ahvaz the same day that he took us to Shoushtar. 00:10:40:17 00:10:44:11 He had to go back because he worked at the railroad, 00:10:44:16 00:10:48:17 in the epicentre of the war and he had to transport ammunition to Khorramshahr. 00:10:49:02 00:10:55:17 He couldn’t stay with us. Imagine a father leaving his wife and child in Shoushtar, going back to 00:10:55:24 00:11:00:06 Ahvaz, the centre of war, loading the train with ammunition and taking it to Khorramshahr. 00:11:00:12 00:11:05:09 If a bullet would hit the train, the train would have exploded. 00:11:05:17 00:11:16:01 My father was the train conductor. He and his friends were in charge of transporting ammunition in the beginning of the war. 00:11:17:15 00:11:24:17 Back then we had no idea about what was going on around us. We were happy. It was around 4 to 5 of us. 00:11:24:22 00:11:27:06 We made wooden guns and played with them. 00:11:27:12 00:11:33:02 We talked, laughed, swam in the river and played throughout the day. 00:11:34:08 00:11:40:03 Unaware of what my parents were going through. Imagine many people fought in the war. 00:11:40:22 00:11:46:03 Mahmoud many people became heroes for fighting in the front lines but I think my father was a hero too. 00:11:46:08 00:11:48:19 What difference does it make? He was a hero too. 00:11:49:00 00:11:55:04 A train full of ammunition moving towards the fighters, this is a kind of heroism. 00:11:55:11 00:12:04:04 My mother, 200 km away, was spending her days and nights wondering if her husband would return. 00:12:05:01 00:12:07:17 This is heroism. What difference does it make? 00:12:08:04 00:12:17:07 But imagine nothing was sweeter than the horn of the train or a trip by train. Even now the children like seeing a train. 00:12:21:13 00:12:24:00 We might like the horn of the train. 00:12:26:17 00:12:31:17 But my father still says that the horn of the train to him is like he has been hit in his head by a sledge-hammer. 00:12:31:23 00:12:33:01 Do you know what he remembers? 00:12:33:05 00:12:37:08 "He certainly remembers the train being bombarded by the planes; " 00:12:37:13 00:12:39:17 he certainly remembers the train that was bombarded in Haft Tappeh. 00:12:39:23 00:12:40:24 (Knock on the door) 00:12:43:00 00:12:44:24 One second… Mahmoud. I told you someone would come. 00:12:45:03 00:12:46:14 No, that’s not a problem. I’ll put the camera away. 00:12:46:18 00:12:52:13 It is a problem. Swear to God, if they see this…one second…did you put it away? 00:12:52:17 00:12:55:01 Please come in. 00:13:49:10 00:13:51:14 I told you it was like this in the office. 00:13:52:05 00:13:57:23 People come and go, asking for a cigarette. I’ll get into trouble. 00:13:59:06 00:14:01:11 Well you were saying. 00:14:01:16 00:14:06:07 We were there for 9 months. Then one early morning my grandfather came. 00:14:06:12 00:14:07:15 From where? 00:14:07:22 00:14:12:19 He came to Shoushtar from Ahvaz. He was wearing a white suit. He had sewn the suit himself. 00:14:13:00 00:14:23:10 He was a tailor and had a shop on Hafez Avenue. He climbed down the stairs and sat on the second step. 00:14:23:15 00:14:25:15 He was addressing my mother. 00:14:25:22 00:14:30:22 He was asking her why we were living there. What we were doing in that damp basement. 00:14:31:02 00:14:33:16 He said: “Come back to Ahvaz. The shops are open. 00:14:33:20 00:14:35:20 The bakery shops are baking bread. 00:14:35:24 00:14:37:09 The porridge shops are cooking porridge. 00:14:37:14 00:14:39:23 I am sewing 3 suits for 3 grooms”. 00:14:40:03 00:14:44:17 Mahmoud all his examples considered shops in the bazaar, because he worked in the bazaar. 00:14:46:08 00:14:48:21 "My mother said to him: “I don’t know what I should do; " 00:14:49:00 00:14:50:12 I have no news from Shokrollah. 00:14:50:16 00:14:54:14 He has left us here. I don’t know if it is right to stay or to leave”. 00:14:54:22 00:14:56:18 “You have nothing to do with Shokrollah. 00:14:56:22 00:15:00:07 He has sent me to take you back. Get up. Get your stuff. Get up. Get your stuff”. 00:15:00:12 00:15:04:09 Man…we didn’t know what to do. 00:15:04:19 00:15:09:02 Mahmoud imagine what one should have done under such circumstances. 00:15:09:07 00:15:13:08 Considering my grandfather’s age, my mother believed that her father was right. 00:15:14:02 00:15:20:03 We gathered our belongings and took our hand bag. I was clinging to my mother’s chador. We went to the bus terminal. 00:15:20:11 00:15:28:09 My grandfather was ahead of us. He would run and so would we. 00:15:28:16 00:15:33:20 With the size of my feet, I couldn’t keep up with him. 00:15:34:01 00:15:37:09 We arrived at the terminal and got on the mini-bus. 00:15:37:14 00:15:46:09 My grandfather sat in the front of the mini bus like a conqueror. 00:15:46:20 00:15:53:23 He sat next to the driver. We sat in the back and I held my mother’s chador. 00:15:54:14 00:16:01:01 We left for Ahvaz. Something crossed my mind, a “molf” but I didn’t say a word. 00:16:01:11 00:16:02:06 The sixth sense? 00:16:02:10 00:16:07:19 Yep. The sixth sense. I wanted to say that we shouldn’t go, that I was scared, that something would happen… 00:16:08:04 00:16:12:22 I kept my mouth shut. I said to myself that I should say nothing. 00:16:13:04 00:16:21:22 I was afraid a rocket would hit our mini-bus…you know one thinks about these things, I kept my mouth shut. 00:16:22:03 00:16:25:24 The mini-bus was moving but I realized that the road was empty. 00:16:26:18 00:16:34:03 It was as if no cars were on it. Nobody was overtaking us. I pulled the curtain and saw nobody. 00:16:34:08 00:16:38:14 No sane man would leave a safe place and go to Ahvaz back in 1981. 00:16:38:19 00:16:42:22 We were the only ones on a mini-bus leaving for Ahvaz. 00:16:43:15 00:16:53:01 After driving for about 50 to 60 kilometres I saw 2 army jeeps coming towards us while flashing their head lights. 00:16:53:22 00:16:57:24 Mahmoud imagine when a car approaches you and the driver wants to say hello they flash the light once. 00:16:58:07 00:17:01:14 But those lights were constantly flashing saying danger. 00:17:07:19 00:17:12:14 They both passed us by while they were continuously honking their horns. 00:17:14:02 00:17:17:16 I felt nauseous. I pressed my mother’s hand. 00:17:17:20 00:17:22:10 She looked at me and rubbed my shoulders. I was the only son. 00:17:22:20 00:17:27:21 I was scared, so was she. She was scared for all of us. She said: “It’s all right, it’s nothing.” 00:17:28:01 00:17:31:24 After another 10 kilometres I saw 3 to 4 army trucks. 00:17:32:03 00:17:37:10 The soldiers were wearing helmets and holding their machineguns they too passed us by. 00:17:37:15 00:17:45:21 The head lights were on and they were honking the horns and shouting: “Go back, don’t go, no!” 00:17:47:04 00:17:58:14 My mother was scared and said to my grandfather: “Dad, it seems they said something. What did they say?” 00:17:58:24 00:18:02:20 He said: “No, it’s nothing. They said hello. They said hello.” 00:18:04:17 00:18:07:13 My mother didn’t believe him. But we did. They definitely said hello. 00:18:07:19 00:18:12:01 Another 10 kilometres and this time we saw 5 to 6 trucks. 00:18:12:06 00:18:21:17 We could see the fear in the soldiers eyes as they were passing us by: “No, no, don’t go, no”. 00:18:23:17 00:18:27:03 I was sure that something was going on. 00:18:27:10 00:18:37:16 Another 6 kilometres and we saw a long queue of cars, pick-up trucks, bicycles, carts, taxis, army trucks, land cruisers … 00:18:38:04 00:18:44:06 Everybody was trying to go to Shoushtar, to a safe place by any means. 00:18:45:07 00:18:48:03 We were the only car in our direction. 00:18:48:09 00:18:50:18 The driver jammed his foot on the brake and said: “I won’t go any further.” 00:18:50:24 00:18:53:13 My grandfather told him: “What? Not going any further? Take us to Chahar Sheer.” 00:18:53:17 00:18:59:00 The driver quickly asked: “What’s going on?” in his Shoushtari dialect. 00:18:59:05 00:19:04:02 We couldn’t tell if the passer-bys were from Lorestan or they were Arabs or even if they could understand his dialect. 00:19:04:05 00:19:09:00 He said: “What’s going on? What’s going on?” The soldier said: “Don’t go. Don’t go. Ahvaz has fallen”. 00:19:11:05 00:19:16:12 My mother was terrified. With the word fallen I remembered Khorramshahr. 00:19:17:17 00:19:19:15 Fallen? That meant it was over. 00:19:20:07 00:19:25:14 My father was in Ahvaz. My grandmother was in Ahvaz, My older sister was in Ahvaz. We were all terrified. 00:19:25:18 00:19:31:09 The driver said: “I’m not going.” My grandfather got into a fight with him. The driver said: “I’ll only go up to Chahar Sheer.” 00:19:31:19 00:19:32:12 My grandfather said: “All right.” 00:19:32:17 00:19:38:21 The car took off. We got to Chahar sheer and we got off. The driver made a u-turn and drove towards Shoushtar. 00:19:39:06 00:19:46:00 My grandfather disappeared. Later on I found out that he had gone to close his shop. 00:19:46:19 00:19:54:07 My mother covered my eyes with her chador so that I wouldn’t see how scared people were. 00:19:54:13 00:20:00:02 I could see the people from behind the thin black fabric of the chador. It was near sunset. 00:20:00:06 00:20:02:21 The continuous explosions could be heard. 00:20:06:06 00:20:08:10 The soldiers were running in the streets with machineguns in their hands. 00:20:08:15 00:20:16:02 The cars in Chahar Sheer square, the continuous honking of the horns, the screams of the children, the frightened women, 00:20:16:10 00:20:19:02 I could see the people from behind the black chador. 00:20:20:21 00:20:22:21 For an instant I looked at the sky from behind the chador. 00:20:23:00 00:20:27:04 I saw red, purple and green flames in the sky. 00:20:27:12 00:20:28:21 I didn’t know what had happened. 00:20:29:06 00:20:35:16 When the soldier said that Ahvaz had fallen I felt that we had got stuck at the entrance point of the city. 00:20:35:20 00:20:40:19 That half of the city had fallen and the Iraqis would capture us at any moment. My mother didn’t know what to do. 00:20:41:08 00:20:43:01 She would walk towards Shoushtar for a little, 00:20:43:06 00:20:50:05 then would run towards Maahshar and then would run towards the city centre, all this within 10 steps. 00:20:50:10 00:21:00:02 I was behind her holding on to her chador. My heart was pounding. We were completely terrified. 00:21:02:19 00:21:06:06 Just then my mother said: “Let’s go to your sister’s house.” 00:21:06:15 00:21:08:19 She used to live in Zeytoun neighbourhood. 00:21:08:22 00:21:13:19 It was a house belonging to the Oil Company. 00:21:14:02 00:21:17:11 We went quickly towards my sister’s house. The door was open. 00:21:17:16 00:21:21:24 We got into the crowded yard and saw that everybody was there. 00:21:22:06 00:21:24:15 It occurred to me that maybe everyone else was there. 00:21:24:21 00:21:27:15 We could either surrender or figure out what we had to do. 00:21:28:01 00:21:31:06 Then I saw everyone looking at the sky with binoculars. 00:21:35:13 00:21:39:13 It was very interesting for me to see how they were easily looking at the sky, what was going on… 00:21:39:17 00:21:46:22 Just imagine… all the explosions could be heard. We asked our son-in-law: 00:21:47:00 00:21:48:03 “What has happened? What has happened?” 00:21:48:06 00:21:56:02 He said: “The ammunition warehouse caught on fire at 2 p.m. The ammunition is exploding. 00:21:56:13 00:22:00:23 The gunpowder and the light are falling on the city.” It was very horrifying. 00:22:03:04 00:22:10:23 After the explosions were over and it was a little quieter I saw my father coming in. 00:22:11:08 00:22:14:19 He said: “You’re here? Who told you to come to Ahvaz? Who told you to do so? 00:22:14:24 00:22:22:16 You should have informed me, or called me. Didn’t I tell you that until I come to fetch you…” 00:22:22:20 00:22:24:08 Any way there was a big row. 00:22:24:11 00:22:29:23 He took us home: the house that the echo of our voices could be heard inside. 00:22:30:01 00:22:33:11 The house in Campelo neighbourhood where our stuff was all stored in the bathroom. 00:22:33:17 00:22:41:01 We got there at night. It was dark. We wanted to switch on the light but my father said: “Don’t switch on the light!” 00:22:41:12 00:22:46:12 Back then nobody would switch on lights. You can ask anyone who was there during the war. 00:22:46:23 00:22:52:14 Man, we got into the house. Our voices echoed. 00:22:52:24 00:23:01:01 We turned on the fluorescent light. I really felt sorry for my dad. Mahmoud he had a very simple and poor life. 00:23:01:05 00:23:05:02 2 cardboards were laid on the floor with a klim on top, a cooking stove, 00:23:05:06 00:23:09:17 a pillow which was filthy because it was used a lot and hadn’t been washed, 00:23:09:23 00:23:20:04 a desert plate, a knife: A poor life in a corner where it was safe. He would go to work and come back home to sleep. 00:23:21:13 00:23:27:05 "We brought out the carpets and put the air-conditioner back in its place; " 00:23:27:10 00:23:45:12 a peaceful life along with the repeated sounds of explosions and conflicts, attacks, war news and things like this… 00:23:45:20 00:23:47:16 Excuse me… 00:23:54:09 00:23:57:02 I’m sorry. 00:24:04:00 00:24:06:03 That’s how it was, an ordinary life. 00:24:06:07 00:24:11:20 I remember the best music was the war march. 00:24:19:13 00:24:21:23 When they would play it I would stick my ear to the radio. 00:24:22:02 00:24:24:18 I would get a piece of paper and would right down with a pencil… 00:24:25:07 00:24:27:19 4 planes were attacked…2 army divisions destroyed, 00:24:28:09 00:24:32:11 I don’t know, 3 helicopters attacked, how many prisoners of war… 00:24:32:15 00:24:34:15 When my father would return from work, he would ask me “Any news?” 00:24:34:19 00:24:36:09 and I would read him the news. 00:24:36:18 00:24:47:19 Even now when I hear the march I have a feeling, a beautiful feeling. It reminds me of then this is how our life was… 00:24:48:00 00:24:49:21 You got back to your normal life… 00:24:49:24 00:24:58:06 Yes, we got back and from 1981 to 1986 we had a peaceful life along with the bombardments, 00:24:58:09 00:25:02:04 the explosion, etc…but regarding the “molf” that I told you… 00:25:02:10 00:25:03:08 The sixth sense? 00:25:04:03 00:25:12:04 It caused me a lot of trouble one day. It was 1984. 00:25:13:12 00:25:18:01 There was a nice children’s TV programme back then. I don’t know if you remember… 00:25:26:24 00:25:29:20 You are used to such explosions. 00:25:30:09 00:25:37:04 What is this? An actual safe match! I loved the children’s TV programme. 00:25:37:10 00:25:44:02 I remember I would go back home from school no matter where I was so that I could watch the children’s programme at 5 p.m. 00:25:44:15 00:25:51:02 There would be a black background on the TV screen and a child would walk and the programme would begin. 00:25:58:09 00:26:03:16 There were good programmes: Sinbad, Pink Panther. We would get home wherever we were. 00:26:03:22 00:26:08:15 Man… I got home, dropped my bag and sat in front of the TV. 00:26:09:07 00:26:14:02 Just when the programme was about to begin my father said: “ Mohammad, go and buy 20 breads. 00:26:14:14 00:26:20:21 ” If the bakery shop was on the corner I would have gone but it was on the way to Khorramshahr Road. 00:26:22:03 00:26:29:07 Almost near Nasser Khosroe junction, a location far away from our house which we had to go a long way. 00:26:29:11 00:26:33:11 I said: “I won’t go. I want to watch the children’s TV programme.” I made up an excuse. 00:26:34:14 00:26:38:12 “Get up, get up. You are too old for the children’s TV programme. Get up and go get bread.” 00:26:39:15 00:26:41:18 I thought to myself what I should tell him so that he wouldn’t send me. 00:26:42:02 00:26:43:11 I said: “I won’t go. 00:26:44:01 00:26:46:24 Iraq will bomb us today, it was announced on the TV last night.” 00:26:47:14 00:26:50:13 He said: “Iraq wants to bomb today.” He got angry. 00:26:50:16 00:26:52:15 “Don’t talk. You’re giving a bad omen. 00:26:52:19 00:26:55:22 A child that gives bad omen is not worth a red cent”. 00:26:56:04 00:27:01:22 "When my mother saw how scared and reluctant I was to go, she said to him; “What do you want from him? " 00:27:02:01 00:27:03:16 Go and get bread yourself.” He said: “Shouldn’t a child learn? 00:27:03:23 00:27:05:22 He should as well learn now that he should provide for the household. 00:27:06:03 00:27:08:08 I may go to work tomorrow and something may happen to me. 00:27:08:18 00:27:11:00 I should be rest assured about who shall provide for you.” 00:27:11:12 00:27:16:06 And things like that. When my father went into the hall way I told my mother: “ I wont’ go. 00:27:16:12 00:27:18:20 Make up something. I won’t go. I’m scared. 00:27:19:09 00:27:20:23 I’m scared, the road to Khorramshahr? 00:27:21:01 00:27:28:14 What if they bombard us?” My father heard me. He said: “I don’t understand. Now we have to go together.” Woe is me! 00:27:28:24 00:27:32:23 I was wondering whether to go or not, when I saw my father with his bike. 00:27:33:02 00:27:34:15 He took it from under the staircase. 00:27:34:22 00:27:42:01 It was a green Hercules size 28. It had a plate number too 1 Ahvaz/2521. 00:27:43:13 00:27:48:05 I was the only one who would remove the plate from the bike when I wanted to go to school. 00:27:48:12 00:27:51:07 I removed the plate 2 or 3 times with a screw driver when he gave me the bike to ride. 00:27:51:10 00:27:55:20 I would leave the plate under the air-conditioner frame. 00:27:56:02 00:28:02:08 It was a hassle. Imagine riding a bike with a number plate, over and over again. God is my witness. 00:28:02:12 00:28:03:06 It had a plate number? 00:28:03:11 00:28:08:08 It did 1Ahvaz/2521. My father even had a driving license. 00:28:08:20 00:28:15:05 If he wanted to make a right turn he would shake his right arm for about quarter of an hour. 00:28:15:09 00:28:17:02 If he wanted to make a left turn he would shake his left arm. 00:28:17:06 00:28:19:06 If he wanted to go straight, it was a story. 00:28:19:16 00:28:23:05 He would say: “If you don’t have a driving license you can’t ride a bike.” 00:28:23:17 00:28:29:16 Once I was riding to school and I hadn’t removed the plate number, when I saw 50 people pointing me out. 00:28:30:18 00:28:32:17 Something funny happened once. 00:28:32:20 00:28:35:02 I was riding the bike when a police car drove passed by me. 00:28:35:06 00:28:42:00 I said to myself it would be good if he would say to me through the loudspeaker: “2521 pull over…2521 pull over!” 00:28:43:03 00:28:49:09 My father would take out his bike and would clean the rims with a cloth and polish them until they would shine. 00:28:49:23 00:28:54:24 He would grease the shafts so they wouldn’t make any noise. 00:28:55:10 00:29:01:23 As I was deciding whether to go or to protest, I saw myself on the street. 00:29:03:18 00:29:05:09 He would stand by a platform. 00:29:05:12 00:29:11:02 I would jump on the top tube, a 100 times my leg would go numb, 00:29:11:20 00:29:18:05 he would run and step on the pedal and swing his other leg around and ride on the bike. 00:29:19:02 00:29:24:16 Imagine…he was bulky, he would lean forward on me and I would be on the steel handlebars. 00:29:25:00 00:29:28:21 You’ve seen a size 28. They have iron brakes. 00:29:29:03 00:29:32:04 The 2 sharp things and my finger would get stuck between these sharp things… 00:29:32:08 00:29:37:04 “Ouch…what was that? What was that?” “Nothing, move your hand”, my father used to say. 00:29:37:14 00:29:42:15 Any way, I got on the top tube and held on to the handlebar and my father started pedalling to where? 00:29:42:21 00:29:48:24 The bakery…The front tyre would wobble like this. 00:29:49:05 00:29:55:06 The tyre tread was worn-out. He hadn’t changed the tyre. 00:29:55:10 00:29:57:13 The tyre wobbled and my father was pedalling. 00:29:57:17 00:30:04:02 Something came to my mind and I said: “Father, what if they really bombard us?” 00:30:04:06 00:30:06:06 He said: “Child, don’t give a bad omen. 00:30:06:09 00:30:10:12 You should hit a child who gives a bad omen, in the mouth with a slipper. 00:30:10:19 00:30:12:03 Talk about good things. 00:30:12:07 00:30:14:17 We are on our way to Khorramshahr Road and you talk about bombardment.” 00:30:16:06 00:30:18:17 We rode to the bakery shop. 00:30:19:05 00:30:24:23 Four people were in queue. It was near sunset. 00:30:25:02 00:30:26:23 I said to myself that we would buy bread and go back home. 00:30:27:02 00:30:28:08 The hell with the children’s TV programme! 00:30:28:16 00:30:31:18 I just don’t want to be bombed. I swear to God. 00:30:33:10 00:30:37:10 There were only two people left. 00:30:37:16 00:30:41:17 I said only 10 more minutes. Nothing will happen in 10 minutes. 00:30:42:01 00:30:46:11 I hadn’t finished my sentence when I heard the sound of the anti-aircraft gun. 00:30:50:09 00:30:54:24 They started shooting at the planes. 00:30:57:01 00:31:05:00 I turned my head up towards the sky and I saw white patches of explosions. 00:31:05:05 00:31:08:16 I was freaked. My father said: “It’s nothing. It’s OK.” 00:31:08:22 00:31:12:22 He turned my face away like this and put me between himself and the person in front of him. 00:31:13:00 00:31:14:10 He stood there but I could feel that he was getting scared. 00:31:14:15 00:31:17:22 Suddenly the sound of Olican cannonballs could be heard. 00:31:19:14 00:31:24:09 "When they would start shooting it meant that the air strike was definite;" 00:31:24:13 00:31:29:10 it meant that the planes had gotten to a point where they would attack the city. 00:31:29:20 00:31:30:24 What’s Olican? 00:31:31:13 00:31:36:22 Olican was a type of very precise cannon that could track the planes and shoot them down. 00:31:37:00 00:31:42:02 Once I saw with my own eyes that it shot 3 MIGs down. 00:31:43:12 00:31:48:02 They sounded very loud…It was an interesting sound. 00:31:48:05 00:31:51:19 They would shoot 8 cannonballs. The last one would clean the tube. 00:31:51:23 00:31:53:11 They sounded very loud. 00:31:53:19 00:32:03:19 The sound of 2 tubes…the sound of 4 tubes…yeah…the sound was very beautiful… 00:32:03:21 00:32:07:08 I’m serious…It had a special tonality… 00:32:13:06 00:32:14:21 it assured me when they were shot… 00:32:15:00 00:32:19:12 I loved it and I would say…they can’t attack us any longer. 00:32:19:20 00:32:24:24 When they were shot I took my head out of my father’s hand and looked up at the sky. 00:32:26:03 00:32:33:24 50 Iraqi MIGs in the sky, black…around 5 white Mirages, they were flying in the sky. 00:32:34:07 00:32:38:15 When I saw them I said to my father: “Papa…Papa…airplanes…airplanes.” 00:32:39:02 00:32:45:03 My father looked up quickly and said: “No, they’re just crows…don’t look at them…don’t look at them.” 00:32:45:15 00:32:50:00 What was the connection, I said: “Papa…Papa…” 00:32:50:07 00:32:54:22 He said: “It’s nothing.” He paid, got the breads and put them on the handlebar. 00:32:55:15 00:32:59:14 I sat on the top tube…I put my hand on the breads… 00:32:59:23 00:33:04:04 I can still feel the warmness of the breads Mahmoud…It’s so palpable to me. 00:33:04:17 00:33:08:01 Man…my father sat on the saddle and started pedalling. 00:33:08:06 00:33:10:04 But this time the pedalling rhythm was faster. 00:33:12:11 00:33:14:24 The tyre was wobbling too. 00:33:15:03 00:33:18:12 I felt as if the front tyre would come off and we would hit the ground with our faces down… 00:33:18:19 00:33:20:09 the anti-aircraft weapons were shooting… 00:33:22:01 00:33:24:08 My father was pedalling towards our house. 00:33:24:15 00:33:27:10 We wanted to get home as quick as possible and get away 00:33:27:18 00:33:30:06 from Khorramshahr Road or at least get to the city centre to avoid any incidents. 00:33:30:12 00:33:32:21 We arrived at Nasser Khosroe junction. 00:33:33:04 00:33:39:03 Suddenly something pulled me off the ground and we fell down. 00:33:39:10 00:33:43:07 I fell down on my face and I raised my head. I saw the people running. 00:33:44:00 00:33:46:11 The cars were jammed at the junction. 00:33:46:21 00:33:53:03 Everyone was looking for a place to escape. There was a smoke on our left hand side. 00:33:53:11 00:33:58:16 A sound…passed us by and there was an explosion on our left side. 00:33:59:13 00:34:00:19 I don’t know what happened next. 00:34:00:24 00:34:07:11 Then I saw my father lying down on the ground inside a flower-bed with his hands on his head. 00:34:07:21 00:34:10:11 I was confused and stuck in the middle of the junction. 00:34:10:18 00:34:12:20 My father said: “Come lie down, come lie down child. 00:34:13:00 00:34:18:08 You gave a bad omen. Come lie down.” I ran and laid down with my hands on my head. 00:34:18:16 00:34:24:01 The fence around the house doubled the sound of the shrapnel in my ears. 00:34:26:06 00:34:30:02 I stuck my head to the ground and everything was shaking around me. 00:34:33:09 00:34:39:16 Among the explosions, the shrapnel and the smoke, my father said: “The breads, the breads.” 00:34:40:03 00:34:43:08 I told him: “They are over there.” He said: “Go get them.Go get them.” 00:34:44:17 00:34:48:23 Imagine a child, the only son, in the midst of confusion. 00:34:49:03 00:34:52:12 I got up, got the breads, got back and laid down. 00:34:53:08 00:34:55:19 The explosions would pick me up and drop me back on the ground. 00:35:00:07 00:35:02:06 My father said: “The bike, the bike.” 00:35:02:11 00:35:03:22 I said to him: “It’s in the middle of the junction.” 00:35:04:01 00:35:06:16 He said: “Go get it. Go get it. You gave a bad omen.” 00:35:07:00 00:35:12:21 I got up, brought the heavy bicycle and lay it on the ground and lay down myself. 00:35:14:02 00:35:17:06 The explosions were shaking everything. 00:35:17:11 00:35:21:05 I pulled my head up and looked at the direction where our house was. 00:35:21:13 00:35:25:21 I was staring at our neighbourhood to see if there was any smoke. 00:35:26:07 00:35:29:03 There was a smoke coming from our neighbourhood. I was terrified. 00:35:29:18 00:35:35:13 I said: “Papa, Papa, Papa… Campelo” My father said: “Hush! Close your eyes… close your eyes.” 00:35:35:18 00:35:42:21 The explosions reduced, the planes could not be heard. 00:35:43:24 00:35:48:06 My father got up quickly. He raised the bike and put the breads on the handlebar 00:35:48:12 00:35:53:05 and I sat on the top tube and my father started pedalling. 00:35:53:12 00:35:57:00 But swear to God Mahmoud I couldn’t hear any puffs and pants. 00:35:57:12 00:36:00:06 I don’t know may be because I was scared. I shut my eyes. 00:36:00:18 00:36:04:24 - Why? - I just felt that the bike was moving fast towards our home. 00:36:05:04 00:36:10:17 "I shut my eyes; I didn’t want to see what had happened, whether the smoke was from our neighbourhood or our house. " 00:36:10:22 00:36:16:06 I didn’t want to see anything. I felt as if we had reached 15 Khordad Square. 00:36:16:16 00:36:25:09 I opened my eyes and saw my mother and sister waiting on the corner of our street. 00:36:26:21 00:36:31:08 I’m sorry if I hurt you. Had anything happened? 00:36:31:24 00:36:39:20 No. As soon as my mother saw me, she hit herself in the face with her two hands. I looked for my younger sister in the crowd. 00:36:40:01 00:36:43:09 She was at school. I looked at Dezhban Street. 00:36:43:14 00:36:47:02 The school was closed. Instead of keeping the students in school during the bombardments, 00:36:47:07 00:36:49:03 they would send them out into the streets. 00:36:49:11 00:36:52:09 The children were crying on the other side of the street. 00:36:52:15 00:36:55:07 It was sunset. The power was cut throughout Ahvaz. 00:36:56:00 00:36:59:03 My father went to fetch my sister and they came back together. 00:36:59:06 00:37:04:04 We went home. We found out that Ahvaz was attacked in 52 locations that day. 00:37:05:15 00:37:06:21 They pounded the fruit and vegetable market. 00:37:07:01 00:37:11:21 You can ask about the market incident from anyone who was there during the war. 00:37:12:10 00:37:20:18 That night they had to collect the corpses with the fire engine water pumps. 00:37:20:24 00:37:23:15 They were mutilated, hands, heads, legs. 00:37:23:19 00:37:29:04 The poor guy who had brought melon from Mashhad, the other guy who had brought walnuts from Khorramabad, 00:37:29:09 00:37:32:11 the one who had brought grapes from Shiraz, the one from Kashan, I don’t know… 00:37:32:17 00:37:37:18 Everyone with their lorries, trucks, trailers were mutilated. 00:37:38:11 00:37:43:06 I swear to God, they were collecting the corpses with the water pumps and putting them in the sacks. 00:37:43:22 00:37:45:04 Nothing happened to you? 00:37:45:07 00:37:52:16 No, we were all safe and sound. That night we slept in our house with fear. 00:37:53:17 00:37:57:06 I can still feel my heart pound. Look at this. 00:37:57:14 00:38:00:09 What is this? This is for palpation. 00:38:00:13 00:38:04:19 I’m taking these because of what happened to me back then. 00:38:05:05 00:38:10:02 I have to take one every morning. It is the outcome of those explosions. 00:38:11:08 00:38:20:15 Any way, giving a bad omen, the sixth sense…nearly killed us all. 00:38:21:05 00:38:25:09 After this our lives were changed 180 degrees. 00:38:25:13 00:38:26:10 How so? 00:38:26:18 00:38:30:24 - My father took me to Shoushtar the following day. Only me. - Why? 00:38:31:06 00:38:35:14 I was the only son. I couldn’t stay. Something could have happened to me. I had to study. 00:38:35:19 00:38:40:22 I told my father: “Papa, every school is closed. Nobody is studying. 00:38:41:02 00:38:44:24 I won’t study either.” He said: “You have to study, even if nobody else does. 00:38:45:05 00:38:47:20 You have to study.” He wanted me to study. 00:38:48:02 00:38:53:08 He took me to Shoushtar and left me with my sister. 00:38:53:13 00:39:00:00 My sister gave me a metal cabinet where I kept my books, notebooks and a little pocket money. 00:39:00:04 00:39:03:01 I was admitted at a school. I went to Shoushtar. 00:39:04:13 00:39:11:12 My aunt’s husband was the principal of that school… 00:39:16:24 00:39:29:18 It’s not my day to smoke today... I sat in the front row between 2 other students. Well everyone was looking at me differently. 00:39:29:24 00:39:33:08 He’s war-stricken, he is from Ahvaz. You know how they are in a small town. 00:39:33:15 00:39:40:04 It was the same back then. They didn’t mean it but they kept calling me war-stricken, Ahvazi,… 00:39:40:24 00:39:45:07 We had Arabic that day. I remember. Our teacher was teaching. 00:39:45:12 00:39:51:11 I was drawing on a piece of paper, I was drawing airplanes. 00:39:52:05 00:39:57:04 Suddenly something hit me in the chest and fell on the desk. 00:39:57:14 00:40:03:17 The teacher threw a piece of chalk at me. I raised my head. 00:40:03:22 00:40:06:02 He asked: “What are you drawing? What are you drawing?” 00:40:06:14 00:40:10:16 He went through the pages of my notebook. “You’ve been brought here to study.” 00:40:11:18 00:40:16:22 He started swearing at me. I don’t want to repeat them because you have a camera here. 00:40:17:06 00:40:18:07 Say it. 00:40:18:10 00:40:27:02 No Mahmoud. He called me names. I was really offended. 00:40:27:09 00:40:34:09 “War-stricken …you were brought here to study, dandy boy!” I was really upset man. 00:40:34:18 00:40:36:22 When he walked back towards the blackboard I said: “Sir.” 00:40:37:03 00:40:39:12 You know what happened that I said that? 00:40:39:18 00:40:46:20 The students burst into laughter. When I heard their laughter I thought I should say something. 00:40:47:22 00:40:50:16 I was very quiet but I made mischievous. 00:40:50:20 00:40:56:13 I said:”Sir if Shoushtar is stricken wouldn’t you be considered war-stricken?” “Keep silent. Keep silent. 00:40:56:19 00:41:00:18 Don’t give a bad omen.” It’s interesting that the people from Shoushtar use this term. 00:41:00:23 00:41:04:18 “Don’t give a bad omen. Strike Shoushtar, strike Shoushtar.” 00:41:05:02 00:41:08:03 Again the children burst into laughter. 00:41:08:17 00:41:15:08 Swear on my own life, I said I hope they do. 00:41:15:21 00:41:26:13 I hadn’t finished my sentence when I heard the rumbling sound of an airplane. 00:41:26:18 00:41:28:09 I poked my classmate and said: ”What is this sound?” 00:41:28:13 00:41:30:06 He said: “It’s nothing. It’s the sound of an F-4 phantom. 00:41:30:13 00:41:37:23 They want to land in Dezful 5th Base but they have to fly over Shoushtar first.” It was logical. But what was this sound? 00:41:38:02 00:41:39:12 It was the sound of a MIG 23. 00:41:39:17 00:41:45:09 Mahmoud, when you would hear one of them you would have to cover your ears and open your mouth and shout, 00:41:47:01 00:41:49:16 so that your tympana wouldn’t get perforated. 00:41:49:21 00:41:54:20 They sounded dreadful. When the sound barrier was broken you had to cover your ears and shout. 00:41:55:04 00:41:57:16 Once we had all gathered in the basement and we were shouting. 00:41:59:21 00:42:04:10 We all looked at each other my mother, my sister, my older sister, my younger sister, my grandfather. 00:42:05:07 00:42:07:22 Man… 00:42:11:11 00:42:16:03 one day when the MIG 23 were flying very low and we were all shouting, 00:42:16:12 00:42:20:14 my grandfather wouldn’t stop shouting for half of an hour after the bombardment was over. 00:42:21:01 00:42:23:22 I said to him: “It’s over.” He said to me: “It’s necessary to be cautious. 00:42:24:11 00:42:29:19 It’s better to be on the safe side, it’s no problem.” God rest his soul. God rest the soul of your lost ones. 00:42:30:14 00:42:42:02 Man… I was thinking whether it was the sound of the F-4 when suddenly... 00:42:47:05 00:42:51:03 ...when a missile struck a 5000 litre water tank: 00:42:51:10 00:42:58:11 explosion, screams, shattered glasses, all the students ran towards the door. 00:42:58:17 00:43:04:21 They all got stuck in the doorway because they all wanted to get out at the same time. 00:43:05:10 00:43:09:13 I got out and saw my teacher who was frightened with his hair stood up on end. 00:43:09:19 00:43:14:00 “Where? Where? Where? You gave a bad omen.” 00:43:14:09 00:43:20:19 Man… I started running through the alleys and got to my sister’s house, but the sounds of the explosions and missiles... 00:43:21:01 00:43:24:13 - I don’t know how I got there. - Shoushtar was bombarded. 00:43:24:18 00:43:28:00 They said that the thumb tack had fallen off the map. 00:43:28:05 00:43:32:02 They used to say that there was a thumb tack on the map and Shoushtar was under the thumb tack. 00:43:32:07 00:43:35:18 Man… Shoushtar was now on the list of unsafe cities. 00:43:36:15 00:43:39:20 That day we gathered our stuff and left town. 00:43:40:16 00:43:45:11 We set up a tent in the suburb. My aunt’s husband used to do such things. 00:43:45:22 00:43:49:18 We set up a tent 10 kilometres before Masjed Soleyman on top of a hill. 00:43:50:08 00:43:51:23 We could see the whole town. 00:43:52:06 00:43:55:15 Mahmoud, one day, swear to God, I bear God as my witness, 00:43:55:20 00:43:59:07 I just want you to believe me, it was around 1 p.m. 00:43:59:14 00:44:09:06 I heard the sound of a MIG. I got out of the tent and looked up in the sky. 00:44:09:11 00:44:12:06 2 black MIGs were flying in circles on Shoushtar. 00:44:12:11 00:44:15:11 They came towards us over the mountains. 00:44:15:20 00:44:19:09 They went all the way to Masjed Soleyman. 00:44:19:15 00:44:22:12 Then they turned and hovered over our tent. 00:44:22:18 00:44:32:14 I could read their names, the writings, the model, the logo and if the angle was right I could have seen the pilot too. 00:44:32:19 00:44:36:17 I saw his helmet. It was that low. I could see the glitter of the missiles. 00:44:37:10 00:44:40:09 They were hovering over us. 00:44:40:13 00:44:43:21 They could easily have killed 10 to 12 members of our family if they aimed at us with their machinegun. 00:44:44:02 00:44:47:16 They were hovering on top of us and moving up and down like this. 00:44:47:20 00:44:55:06 I don’t know why but I thought the pilot was pointing at a target. 00:44:55:15 00:45:02:24 Who is it? Is it my aunt’s house? My uncle’s? My sister’s? Our relative’s? 00:45:03:09 00:45:06:22 Our school? He was aiming at something. 00:45:07:08 00:45:10:23 Suddenly I sensed that he locked the target through the bore sight. 00:45:11:04 00:45:14:14 The target was aimed and the missile took off. 00:45:18:15 00:45:23:21 We followed the missile trail. Where will it hit? Uncle’s house? Aunt’s house? 00:45:25:03 00:45:36:19 The second missile, the third, the fourth. 11 missiles. 00:45:38:02 00:45:40:16 Why were they firing the missiles from the place we were? 00:45:40:22 00:45:45:13 They would hit the ground by a parachute. They would aim at the missiles and fire. 00:45:46:09 00:45:50:10 We followed the missiles. Where will they hit? 00:45:50:22 00:46:01:13 How interesting? You describe it so well that one wishes you had a handy-camera so that you could have filmed it. 00:46:01:18 00:46:06:10 Even though when you watch them later on, you see that the scenes are so moving and beautiful. 00:46:06:16 00:46:14:10 One would think that these are a part of our movie archives and we could now use your archive. 00:46:14:14 00:46:20:08 We would have used it for your film, a moving film, very interesting, in my opinion those beautiful scenes... 00:46:23:13 00:46:26:17 If you had a camera it would appear as a symbol of aesthetics in art. 00:46:26:22 00:46:29:04 All these moments are beautiful, right? 00:46:29:10 00:46:36:04 I wish you were there back then so that you would film it all and would see the missiles. 00:46:38:06 00:46:48:11 Mohammad, I didn’t it meant to hurt you. I’m sorry. Mohammad, forgive me. I’m shameful. 00:46:48:15 00:46:57:20 Mahmoud, what am I saying? Of course I’m talking about missiles, about blood, about human beings. 00:46:58:00 00:47:03:14 This is a glass! Are you shocked? If you bang it against my head, nothing will happen. 00:47:06:20 00:47:10:08 From the point of view of aesthetics…art… 00:47:11:15 00:47:14:00 You think we were standing down there as simple as that? 00:47:15:18 00:47:19:07 I didn’t mean it? Swear to God. Forgive me. 00:47:19:13 00:47:25:12 Swear to God, the best filmmaker in the world can not create that moment. 00:47:25:18 00:47:30:03 What is that movie that you are claiming? What is it? And now it is the end of the world. 00:47:30:10 00:47:33:05 Nothing can measure up to the scenes we saw. 00:47:33:11 00:47:36:16 Then you claim to wish you had been there. It was interesting. It was beautiful. 00:47:36:20 00:47:39:05 Put your camera away Mahmoud. Put it away! 00:47:39:09 00:47:45:12 I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it. 00:47:48:20 00:47:50:02 First you say you’ll only record my voice. 00:47:50:07 00:47:54:02 Then you bring your camera. Then you comment on all my sacred beliefs and say how interesting! 00:47:54:08 00:47:58:17 You call all the calamities interesting. 00:48:05:18 00:48:07:12 I’m sorry Mohammad. 00:48:07:15 00:48:11:06 I bear God as my witness. I have sworn so many times in this matter. 00:48:11:11 00:48:12:17 I hope God forgives me. 00:48:12:22 00:48:14:21 I’m just telling you so that you would believe me. 00:48:15:08 00:48:20:14 Mahmoud, our most beautiful days, the safest days in our lives were cloudy days. 00:48:21:17 00:48:25:00 When it was cloudy then we were relieved. 00:48:25:04 00:48:27:12 You know why? Do you know what I’m saying? 00:48:28:06 00:48:31:00 We felt as if we were in trenches. 00:48:31:08 00:48:33:15 In a trench where God had prepared for us. 00:48:33:20 00:48:36:22 The planes couldn’t see us. They couldn’t see the town. 00:48:39:17 00:48:41:05 It was at those times when we would say how interesting. 00:48:41:12 00:48:43:02 How good it is, the weather is cloudy. 00:48:43:20 00:48:46:08 We could safely go to school. 00:48:46:17 00:48:49:21 We saw death with our own eyes a thousand times. 00:48:50:18 00:49:04:10 Whenever we would hear the attack sirens I felt that a soldier is turning something or pressing a button. 00:49:08:12 00:49:11:07 We had to place ourselves under the staircase no matter where we were inside the house: 00:49:11:16 00:49:18:10 a place where my father had built, a safe location where every unfortunate father would have prepared for his children. 00:49:19:16 00:49:27:22 Back then as we were poor we used 3 sacks of cement and covered it with a piece of fabric so it wouldn’t be seen. 00:49:28:04 00:49:30:12 We would all run and hide there. 00:49:32:20 00:49:36:12 I’m sorry Mohammad. I didn’t mean it… I’m so ashamed… 00:49:37:05 00:49:41:21 When the air attack sirens would be heard… 00:49:49:06 00:49:58:22 Oh my, I’ve never heard a worse melody…the horrifying red melody… 00:50:01:12 00:50:04:19 When the red alert would be sounded we would all run under the stair case. 00:50:05:00 00:50:07:02 I would be first, because I was the only son. 00:50:07:07 00:50:13:15 Then my younger sister, then my older one, then my mother and then my papa. Only half of his body would fit. 00:50:16:06 00:50:21:13 Then we would all pray. Allah — there is no God but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by whom all subsist. 00:50:21:24 00:50:23:19 We would recite so many verses of Quran. 00:50:23:23 00:50:29:07 Everyone would recite different verses. 00:50:29:23 00:50:32:14 I had just learnt this verse by heart Allah — there is no God but He, the Ever-living, 00:50:32:21 00:50:34:12 the Self-subsisting by whom all subsist, 00:50:34:21 00:50:36:22 we would recite the verses so that we would be safe. 00:50:37:00 00:50:37:24 Did it work? 00:50:38:03 00:50:41:00 It must have, for we are alive. It did work. 00:50:41:18 00:50:45:12 May be the people whose houses were attacked didn’t recite these verses. 00:50:46:02 00:50:53:08 Any way we would recite these verses together and when we could hear the sound of anti-aircraft and the explosions, 00:50:53:13 00:50:55:04 then we would raise our voices. 00:50:55:10 00:50:59:18 Who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? Slumber overtakes Him not, nor sleep. 00:50:59:23 00:51:03:22 And when the noises would get louder we would all pray together 00:51:04:05 00:51:06:12 Allah — there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by whom all subsist. 00:51:06:17 00:51:11:01 Slumber overtakes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. 00:51:17:19 00:51:19:21 I’m really sorry man. 00:51:20:00 00:51:22:20 No my dear…it’s not your fault… 00:51:22:24 00:51:24:21 I didn’t mean to hurt you. 00:51:24:24 00:51:26:12 I know…I know. 00:51:27:21 00:51:29:02 Forgive me. 00:51:29:05 00:51:33:13 I’m angry at myself…It’s me… 00:51:38:13 00:51:41:05 Mahmoud I’m thinking, if a war breaks out… 00:51:41:09 00:51:48:22 we don’t have the endurance and the strength which our fathers had…we…matches… 00:51:49:08 00:51:51:04 - I have a lighter. - You do? 00:51:51:06 00:51:52:15 I’m sorry. Forgive me. 00:51:52:21 00:51:55:21 We don’t have that endurance and strength. It’s OK if you don’t have any. 00:51:56:00 00:51:57:03 No. 00:51:59:15 00:52:03:01 I can’t drag my child from here to there like my father did. 00:52:03:06 00:52:06:24 We don’t have those facilities any more. It’s not like back then. 00:52:07:06 00:52:10:06 Families don’t take care of each other like they used to do. 00:52:11:14 00:52:20:08 It’s not my child’s fault. My child…thousands of children, it doesn’t make any difference…This is Sahar 00:52:21:10 00:52:22:19 How cute! How old is she? 00:52:22:23 00:52:28:22 5…5 years old…It’s not this kid’s fault. 00:52:29:01 00:52:32:17 It doesn’t make any difference…not my child…thousands of children who live in this world…. 00:52:32:23 00:52:36:09 I don’t know… the children of Lebanon, Palestine, Vietnam, the children of the US… 00:52:37:03 00:52:38:09 what difference does it make?… 00:52:38:18 00:52:40:05 all the children of the world… 00:52:40:19 00:52:47:11 now instead of the word how interesting I’d say how filthy the war is. 00:52:48:21 00:52:53:04 War is filthy, it’s not interesting. There’s nothing interesting about war…nothing interesting. 00:52:54:05 00:52:58:02 You’re right…I didn’t mean…to hurt you. 00:52:58:06 00:52:59:18 You are an artist… 00:52:59:21 00:53:04:01 you wish you were there at that moment so that you could create, but swear to God there’s nothing interesting about war. 00:53:04:14 00:53:08:09 I would say filthy instead of interesting. 00:53:08:14 00:53:13:17 If there’s another war I can’t take my child from one city to another. 00:53:14:15 00:53:20:17 I just can’t. I can’t move her around. I don’t have the strength of my father. 00:53:26:23 00:53:31:21 I’m sorry I hurt you…you were really hurt…forgive me. 00:53:33:11 00:53:34:20 I’ve run out of battery. 00:53:35:08 00:53:36:21 Thank God. 00:53:37:01 00:53:40:12 But your story in unfinished…I’m sorry for hurting you. 00:53:40:21 00:53:46:06 No…I told you not to film me…you were wrong for having brought your camera…because anything can happen. 00:53:46:10 00:53:47:00 No. 00:53:47:04 00:53:49:05 I get nervous. I’m nervous swear to God. 00:53:49:08 00:53:50:11 No, nothing will happen. 00:53:50:15 00:53:51:23 I’m nervous swear to God. 00:53:52:01 00:53:55:13 Any way I’d like to know the end of your story, what happened in the end? 00:53:55:16 00:53:56:13 Giving a bad omen? 00:53:56:15 00:53:59:16 Yeah, I’ll turn off the camera…Tell me about giving a bad omen… 00:53:59:18 00:54:01:08 They still exist… 00:54:01:17 00:54:02:15 Oh…you mean… 00:54:02:18 00:54:08:08 Yeah…right now…a few days ago I was standing in line at the ATM… 00:54:08:20 00:54:11:17 Ten people were in line and wanted to withdraw money. 00:54:12:12 00:54:16:08 9 of them got their money and there was only one person ahead of me. 00:54:16:12 00:54:18:08 I said to myself what if there’s no money by the time it is my turn? 00:54:18:14 00:54:21:17 The lady in front of me got 40 thousand Tomans. I inserted my card… 00:54:22:17 00:54:26:21 Sorry…it read on the monitor…please refer to another ATM. 00:54:29:02 00:54:34:16 That’s where I think the giving a bad omen still exists in my mind and on my tongue. 00:54:35:03 00:54:40:24 Mahmoud if there is another war it will be because of giving bad omens in your film. 00:54:43:14 00:54:50:10 To Mohammad Ghadirzadeh and those who lost their childhood in the war. 00:54:51:04 00:54:56:17 Director & Cameraman: Mahmoud Rahmani 00:54:57:15 00:55:02:15 Sound Mix: Farid Daghagheleh 00:55:04:03 00:55:08:23 Music: Mohsen Saffarian 00:55:24:07 00:55:29:03 Producer: Visual Art Center of Khuzestan (Hozeh Honari)