Drifting from one Iranian city to another at an exponential rate, the novel coronavirus continues to deal stunning blows to almost every aspect of Iranian life — and culture is no exception, with abandoned theaters, closed galleries, locked museums and canceled Nowruz festivals. 

But the crisis is far from pushing Iranian artists to the margins. On the contrary, like the rest of the country, they're fighting back on multiple fronts and platforms, trying to alleviate the nation's suffering in this time of crisis. 

The toughest challenge, according to Iranian officials, are US-imposed sanctions, although the United States allows medical exceptions to its sanction policies. Iran has rejected US offers of assistance, calling instead for the lifting of the sanctions.

A group of internationally acclaimed Iranian actors and directors has appealed to counterparts abroad in an open letter lamenting the sanctions. Let's hope that world's committed artists with influence upon public opinion and politicians will act before it’s too late, and have this injustice against Iranians heard by those who hold power,” the letter reads. “Iranians are now facing two crises: One is the shared coronavirus, which you are familiar with, and the other is sanctions, which we hope you will never get familiar with.”