Mina – Der Preis der Freiheit
Hesam Yousefi
The documentary „Mina – Der Preis der Freiheit“ by Hesam Yousefi portrays Mina Ahadi, an Iranian human rights activist, who lives in Cologne today. For decades Mina has been fighting against executions and stoning in Iran – thus becoming a target of the regime herself.
A tragic high point of her life was the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the associated launch of the enforced Hijab. Shortly after the takeover by the Iranian revolution, Mina’s husband, Ismail Yeganehdust, was executed. Mina decided to dedicate her life to the fight against capital punishment. She managed to save many people’s lives – and yet still too few in her eyes. In many cases her campaigns and the close contact to persons sentenced to death established an emotional bond; they called her “mother”. And “mother Mina“ had to mourn many of her children.
In „Mina – Der Preis der Freiheit“ Mina Ahadi gives insight into her eventful biography between happy family life and personal security. She tells about success and failure in her fight against capital punishment and for the rights of women, homosexuals, and ex-muslims. Her founding of the “Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime“ has garnered many death threats. Although forced to live in permanent fear, Mina urgently conveys the message that people’s love for their fellow humans is stronger than any cruelty between them.
Mina – Der Preis der Freiheit was developed and produced at a university in Hessen.
20 April 2023
17:30 h, Kino des DFF
More information
| Direction | Hesam Yousefi |
| Country | Germany |
| Year | 2022 |
| Duration | 70 min |
| Language | Farsi, German, Kurdish |
| Production | Hesam Yousefi |
| Camera | Hesam Yousefi |
| Script | Hesam Yousefi |
| Editing | Hesam Yousefi |
| Sound | Hesam Yousefi |
Presented by:
The Director About the Film
"The film Mina – Der Preis der Freiheit had no beginning and no end. I did not know how to begin this film. I saw a huge pile of material in front of me. The film has an active main protagonist – yet one which provides dozens of topics and stories. Being orientated towards one direction and selecting just one topic to give the film a focal point revealed to be the greatest challenge. Yet I found him: Mina herself was the centre of the film. By means of her activities, she leads us through Iranian history, especially the history of the Islamic regime. After the Iranian revolution in 1979 the Kurdish freezone (Iraqi Kurdistan) was especially relevant, as she absorbed completely all freedom fighters – among them: Mina Ahadi. After she had left Kurdistan towards Europe a few years later, she actively engaged against capital punishment and stoning as well as for the rights of women, homosexuals, and ex-muslims." (Hesam Yousefi)
HESSIAN PREMIERE
In the presence of the director and Mina Ahadi
Regional Feature Film Program
