In the months following Iran’s violent crackdown on widespread protests earlier this year, a new documentary has emerged offering a citizen’s perspective on the unrest that swept the country beginning in late December 2022. This four-part series, produced by Persian-language broadcaster Manoto TV, compiles thousands of videos captured by ordinary Iranians during the demonstrations, providing a rare and intimate record of events as they unfolded.
The protests began amid a severe economic crisis, sparked by the rapid collapse of the Iranian rial and financial hardships felt across the nation. Initial demonstrations centered on economic grievances but soon evolved into broader anti-government protests condemning the Islamic Republic and its leadership. By early January, chants calling for the return of the Pahlavi monarchy and vocal criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had become widespread in cities including Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad.
The documentary, titled *This Is Our Story*, draws on more than 10,000 recordings from individuals who filmed public demonstrations, confrontations with security forces, and subsequent scenes of mourning and memory. The materials include footage from the most violent days of January 8 and 9, when security forces intensified their crackdown, coinciding with a near-total internet shutdown that curtailed outside access to the country.
Independent investigations have since verified many of the incidents documented in the videos, identifying cases of Iranian security personnel firing on protesters from streets and rooftops with automatic weapons and shotguns loaded with metal pellets. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have classified these actions as part of a severe crackdown involving widespread killings, arrests, and human rights abuses. A United Nations fact-finding mission subsequently determined that the government’s response amounted to crimes against humanity.
Amid continuing disputes over the death toll, Iranian officials estimate approximately 3,000 fatalities, including hundreds from security forces, while human rights groups and opposition sources cite significantly higher figures, with some estimates reaching tens of thousands. The communications blackout and the scale of the repression make exact casualty counts difficult to confirm.
The documentary highlights individuals among the victims, humanizing the statistics with stories of young Iranians like Alireza Rahimi and Sanam Pourbabaei, both reportedly shot during the protests. Their families’ efforts to recover and commemorate their bodies under heavy security are depicted alongside scenes of communal mourning, with music and rituals transforming personal grief into a collective act of remembrance and resistance.
*This Is Our Story* serves not only as a journalistic endeavor but as an archive of testimony and evidence, documenting civilian experiences during one of the most significant episodes of unrest in Iran’s recent history. The footage challenges official narratives, capturing the raw emotions and chaotic realities faced by protestors and bystanders alike.
As the international community continues to grapple with questions of accountability for the crackdown, the visual record provided by Iranian citizens through this documentary offers a powerful resource for understanding the scale and human cost of the government’s response. The persistent documentation, even amid deliberate attempts to silence communication channels, underscores the resilience of those who sought to bear witness to the tragedy that unfolded.
Through these thousands of recorded moments, the people of Iran have created an enduring historical archive that reveals the fear, hope, and defiance of their uprising—challenging falsehoods and ensuring that the world sees the reality of what occurred.