Following a violent crackdown on protesters, a prominent Iranian actress who has been in numerous films over the course of her two-decade career has declared she will never perform in the nation again.
In a late Monday Instagram post, Elnaz Shakerdoust expressed her belief that the crackdown had murdered tens of thousands of people and that Iran’s land now “smelled of blood.”
Shakerdoust announced that she will be abstaining from Iran’s premier annual film festival, the Fajr Film Festival, which began in Tehran at the same time as her declaration.
“What festival or celebration can there be while I am grieving for my loved ones? I won’t take part in any festivities and I won’t play any part on this blood-stained earth ever again,” she wrote.
In the post, Shakerdoust claimed that the crackdown on anti-government protesters had killed 40,000 people.
The US-based human rights organization HRANA claims to have confirmed 6,854 deaths, the majority of which were demonstrators, although it and other organizations have cautioned that the true death toll could be much higher.
In her post, the actress hinted that the organizers of the Fajr festival had informed her that one of her performances would earn her one of the festival’s top Simorgh honors.
However, she stated: “This terrible, criminal, historic tragedy has been too much for my soul to handle.”
Major international Iranian and international filmmakers used to attend the Fajr Film Festival, but as Iran has been more isolated in recent years, its scope has decreased.
Despite the protests, the 2026 version will still take place this month.
The 41-year-old Shakerdoust has been in the business for more than 20 years, starring in over 50 movies and taking home multiple accolades at national film festivals.
She condemned the 2021 murder of a young guy in southwestern Iran who was murdered by family members due to his homosexuality on Instagram.
Conservatives were outraged by her message, which was later taken down by a court order.
Iranian cinema, which has its roots in the imperial age but has persisted in the Islamic republic, is a divisive political arena.
Screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-writer of Jafar Panahi’s film “It was Just an Accident,” which won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes festival and was nominated for best international picture at this year’s Oscars, is among those detained during the crackdown.
