“No dictator stays in power forever”: Documentary Revolution 3.0 premieres in Prague
Reza Bird, an Iranian-American filmmaker and founder of Nxt Animal Project premiered his documentary Revolution 3.0 at the One World Festival in Prague. The documentary is autobiographical and shows us his journey of exile as an artist in Iran to then forging a new path for himself in L.A. The documentary highlights social media as a tool. Reza, along with other Iranians all over the world, uses social media footage to come together and fight back.
I wanted to ask how you feel about premiering the documentary here for the first time and showing it in front of an audience.
“It felt so good and natural because my production company was from Czechia. And now that we have premiered here, based on everything I know about your culture - your people have been fighting for democracy and freedom for a long time. When I watched the film with the audience, I felt like it was such a great option. It was a great choice for us.”
I wanted to ask if you could speak a little bit about the title and the meaning behind it, Revolution 3.0.
“Back when I was working on the script, the whole movement of Web 3.0 was very prominent. Sending money to Iran via Bitcoin, using VPNs, and the democratization of hope and power. So I was thinking, okay, this is kind of Revolution 3.0. The whole storytelling through social media, helping people through platforms, digital money - all of that felt like a fitting name for the film.”
Can you talk about the process of filming the documentary and how this idea came about?
“About six months into the revolution, my studio became well-known for making videos supporting protesters. We made one video, and it went massively viral. Then, overnight, protesters started sending us footage and material. They trusted us - we became a hub for them. In the first six months of the revolution, we had already made a lot of videos and gathered a huge archive. When we pitched the film, we already had a big chunk of footage. Then, it was just a matter of tying it back to my own personal life and career. We shot in LA, San Francisco, Seattle, and DC.”
Was there a point where it became emotionally too taxing - where you just couldn't see the light and didn’t want to keep going?
“Yeah, everything in this movie was really hard because the whole subject was emotional. Imagine dropping off your kid, smiling at other parents while you’ve just finished editing a scene filled with blood and screams. Balancing my life in Los Angeles with this movie was really tough. Another emotional challenge was realizing, as we were editing, that the revolution was fading out more and more. I lived through the revolution twice. For many people, it was already over, but we had to go through every single day, every single archive that people sent us, and edit them. It was emotionally tough.”
Did you ever worry that the documentary would be too violent for the audience?
“Yeah, I had that worry because we had so much footage of dead people - so much blood. So I tried to use it minimally. When you use it minimally, you actually get the most effective, heartfelt impact. Sometimes, hearing things out of frame can be just as powerful. We were very intentional with how we presented it.”
In the documentary, your wife says that she doesn’t have much hope of seeing change in her lifetime. But I think your perspective is different. Can you talk about that and how you personally view the situation right now?
“Yeah, towards the end of the film, she says she doesn’t believe we’ll see this come to an end in our lifetime. And honestly, it’s hard. I just said this in the second screening when someone asked me the same question. I have days where I feel absolutely hopeless, and I have days where I feel absolutely hopeful. But our feelings don’t change reality. Look at Czechoslovakia. Look at what happened to Prague. No dictator stays in power forever - it's not possible. They will fall - it’s just a matter of time. I try to see the bigger picture and keep myself hopeful. And now, after a year, watching this film here, the most relieving feeling is knowing that we documented what happened to us.”
And one last question - what gives you the most hope? What keeps you going?
“What keeps me going is seeing that, despite all the control and the massive amounts of money spent - oil money used to suppress people. The spirit of the revolution is still there. Young people are resisting in so many ways. They don’t believe in the power that the regime claims to have. They don’t fear. Right now, the regime may seem successful, but it won’t last. That gives me hope.”
