
TOKYO -- Filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf was once a guerrilla in his native Iran before trading his gun for a camera. He later defected from the country, where film and other artistic expression are subject to strict censorship by the Islamic theocracy. Since then the director has been a fervent antiwar supporter with unshakable faith in democracy.
Nikkei interviewed Makhmalbaf about his thoughts regarding changes in Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S. The following is an edited version of the interview in his own words.