The second-longest war in the 20th century began on Sept. 22, 1980, when forces led by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The conflict ended eight years later, in 1988, with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 598, which called for a cease-fire. Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini famously described approval of the decision as “more deadly than taking poison,” adding, “I submitted myself to God’s will and drank this drink for his satisfaction.”

Up to 1 million people are estimated to have lost their lives in the conflict, which has come to be known in Iran as the “imposed war” or the “sacred defense.” The Iranian state has used this terminology to describe the conflict and its cultural, social, political and economic impact on Iranian society ever since the war began. The term “sacred defense” has even turned into a genre in Iranian cinema and literature.

Sacred defense productions are often accompanied by an ideological, religious and propaganda angle aimed at forging heroes and portraying the war as sacred. This is while some independent artists have depicted the conflict as an unpleasant and destructive phenomenon on the front lines, cities and society as a whole. However, these works, some of which became the most lasting works of art in Iran, were unsuccessful in winning the support of the establishment when trying to obtain the necessary permits or at the production and distribution stage.

Thirty years on, the depiction of the Iran-Iraq War in Iranian literature and cinema remains a highly sensitive topic that is full of challenges. Last month, in a meeting with officials responsible for Rahian-e Noor, or Path of Light — tours of the war-era battlefields — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei highlighted the need for keeping “the values of the sacred defense” alive, saying, “Those who produce anti-war poems or films are like individuals who extract a country’s oil and pour it into the sea.”