Stronger Than A Bullet

Synopsis

When does an image become war propaganda? Where does the responsibility of the war photographer lie? Can photography become a purely political act? Stronger Than a Bullet follows war photographer Saeid Sadeghi as he retraces zones of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), which he photographed throughout its duration. His photos of soldiers depicting heroism and joy were - and still are today - an important tool of government propaganda. A firm supporter of the Iranian Revolution at the time, he is now tormented by his shared responsibility for the deaths of countless soldiers, many of whom were very young, and seduced by the hero narrative. He undertakes a pilgrimage through the landscape of the previous warzone in search of people he photographed at the time, praying to meet a few of those who survived.