Owj Arts and Media Organization

Logo of Owj Arts and Media Organization
Formation	Spring 2011
Type	Non-governmental organization
Purpose	“Strategic policymaking in the field of arts within the framework of revolutionary discourse” [1]
Headquarters	Tehran, Iran
Executive Director	Ehsan Mohammad-Hassani & Amirhossein Lotfollahzadeh [2]
Parent organization	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [3]
Website	owjmedia.org

Owj Arts and Media Organization ( Persian: سازمان هنری رسانه‌ای اوج; 'Owj' means Peak) is legally a media non-governmental organization ^[4] in Iran, active in launching campaigns, film production and distribution.

Ideology and affiliation

The organization's works have been described as irritating government of Hassan Rouhani and reformists, ^[1] anti- Iran deal, ^[4] anti-American, ^[5] and subject to Holocaust denial. ^[6]

Owj organization seems reluctant to provide details about its owner(s) or corporate structure. Its website "About Us" section reads: "Perhaps more important and better than knowing when Owj was established and who were its founders, … it is better to introduce its nature and identity". ^[1] The organization has been claimed to have ties with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. ^[6] In 2018, Owj's executive director and Ebrahim Hatamikia, a director working for the organization publicly admitted that the organization is run and funded by the IRGC. ^[3]

Notable works

Billboard campaign

• “Be With Us, Be Safe” (2012–13): The high-context billboard, installed near the busy Valiasr square of Tehran, shows then- U.S. President Barack Obama standing next to Shemr—a shi'ite villain—and offering a letter of protection to the reader. A BBC Persian-style caption reads “Be with us, be safe”. ^[7]
• “The US Government Styles Honesty [sic, Persian title: American Honesty]” (2013): While nuclear negotiations were ongoing, several posters were installed in Tehran streets, displaying Iranian and American diplomats sitting at the table, with the American side wearing a suit with military pants and boots and pointing a gun towards the Iranian negotiator, who looked like Mohammad Javad Zarif. The billboards were soon removed after becoming controversial. ^{[1] [5]}
• “A Single Blossom Does Not Bring Spring: More Children, A Happier Life” (2013–14): Billboards carrying the slogan began to pop up along major highways, targeting the former slogan of family planning in Iran: “Fewer children, better life” and encouraging more children in the family. The posters were heavily criticized for their view on role of mother in family. ^[2]
• “Know The Shemr of Your Time” (2014)

Short animation

• Becharkh ta Becharkhim (2015): Roughly translated as 'two can play that game', the animation aired on state-run TV's children's channel IRIB Children symbolically narrates the "honorific" Iran's nuclear program and the "desperate" negotiations from its own point-of-view. The animations depictates Mr. Sam as the villain and characters loosely based on Iranian figures, who are members of the family of "Agha Joon" ( Khamenei), such as the compromiser "Uncle Hassan" ( Rouhani), the persevering "Uncle Mahmoud" ( Ahmadinejad) and the coward "Uncle Mohammad" ( Khatami). The animation sparked controversy in April 2016. ^[1]

Documentary

• Roaring Waters (2013): Directed by Lebanese filmmaker Mohammad Dabouq about power of Navy of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution ^[8]

Feature film

• Bodyguard (2016) ^[1]
• Standing in the Dust (2016)
• The Holy Cast (2016)
• Never (2016)
• Damascus Time (2018) ^[3]
• The Lost Strait (2018) ^[3]
• Naela (TBA)
• Tayyeb Khan (TBA)
• Conspiracy Theory (TBA)
• 23 People (2019)
• Exodus (2020) ^[9]

Festival

• 1st Down With USA Great Award (2013) ^[10]
• 3rd International Holocaust Cartoon Competition (2016): co-organized with Sarcheshmeh Cultural Center ^[6]

References