Watch the ‘Rehearsals for a Revolution’ Director and Editor Explain How Memories Can Help Fight Authoritarianism

Pegah Ahangurani’s “Rehearsals for a Revolution” is one of the year’s most powerful films, combining half a century of Iranian history with the director’s own personal story of being exiled to London. It all forms one powerful tapestry that begins with a single word: “Yad.” The Persian word for memory and remembrance ties the entire film together, allowing Ahangurani and editor Arash Ashtiani to weave timelines together under the idea that memory is its own form of revolution. At our Art of the Doc event in Los Angeles, the duo sat down with IndieWire editor-in-chief Brent Lang for a wide-ranging conversation that began with the film’s opening word. “I wanted to emphasize the act of remembering, because the central idea of my film is about remembering,” Ahangurani said. “I grew up in Iran and I’ve lived there my whole life, and I know very well that the authoritarians, including the one in Iran, they don’t only censor people. They also try to erase our memories, erase our past, and replace it with their own version of history. They try to rewrite it, and we shouldn’t let them steal our memories. I think remembering is one of the few things we have. We should remember our past, we should remember our victims, we should mourn them. Only after that can we start to heal.” Watch the complete conversation in the video above. National Geographic Documentary Films, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers. Its award-winning and critically acclaimed films reach 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Recent films include the Emmy-nominated winner of the IDA Award for Best Feature “The Tale of Silyan;” Oscar® and Peabody nominee “Sugarcane;” Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award winner “Bobi Wine: The People’s President;” Emmy Award winner “Lost In The Jungle;” Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated “Fire of Love;” Emmy and Peabody Award winner “The Territory;” BAFTA nominees “The Rescue” and “Becoming Cousteau;” and Oscar- and BAFTA winner “Free Solo.” For more information visit films.nationalgeographic.com, or find us onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram, and YouTube.