Iran continues to be a site of unrest among dissident filmmakers protesting leadership and government under the country’s current president, Ebrahim Raisi. In 2022, Iranian filmmakers such as Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad were arrested over their responses to Iran’s censorship of events including a building collapse that killed at least 41, and later the death of Mahsa Amini, killed by Islamic police for allegedly not wearing her hijab.
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The winds of change are sweeping Iran as the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ protests, provoked by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September, continue. Here, four Iranian disruptors talk about their struggles, their acts of solidarity for the pro-democracy movement, and their hopes for the future of their country.
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
- 5/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has called on Iran to lift a travel ban on director Mohammad Rasoulof.
News broke this week that the filmmaker had been invited to participate in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard jury but had to decline the offer after being refused permission to leave Iran.
Rasoulof confirmed these facts to Deadline and said Iranian authorities had given no reason for the decision.
A few days earlier, friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi left Iran for the first time in 14 years on a one-week trip to France to see his daughter. He has since returned home.
In a statement bannered “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!”, Icfr noted the different treatment meted out to the two directors.
“Both have repeatedly gotten into conflict with the Iranian authorities, had their passports confiscated and been jailed. Now one can travel, the other not,” read the statement.
News broke this week that the filmmaker had been invited to participate in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard jury but had to decline the offer after being refused permission to leave Iran.
Rasoulof confirmed these facts to Deadline and said Iranian authorities had given no reason for the decision.
A few days earlier, friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi left Iran for the first time in 14 years on a one-week trip to France to see his daughter. He has since returned home.
In a statement bannered “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!”, Icfr noted the different treatment meted out to the two directors.
“Both have repeatedly gotten into conflict with the Iranian authorities, had their passports confiscated and been jailed. Now one can travel, the other not,” read the statement.
- 5/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian director was released from jail in February.
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving his home country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to the Farsi service of Radio France International (Rfi), Cannes invited Rasoulof to join the Un Certain Regard jury following his release from jail in Tehran in February.
Rasoulof was jailed last year over an appeal he and documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad posted on social media speaking out against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Rfi said that Cannes had hoped that...
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving his home country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to the Farsi service of Radio France International (Rfi), Cannes invited Rasoulof to join the Un Certain Regard jury following his release from jail in Tehran in February.
Rasoulof was jailed last year over an appeal he and documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad posted on social media speaking out against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Rfi said that Cannes had hoped that...
- 5/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Jafar Panahi has left Iran for the first time in 14 years after the heralded Iranian filmmaker’s longstanding travel was apparently lifted.
His wife, Tahereh Saeidi, shared a photo of them entering an undisclosed airport to her Instagram Tuesday night, writing, “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The image indicates the first time the director and political figure behind “The White Balloon,” “The Circle,” “Taxi” and most recently “No Bears” has left Iran since he was sentenced to a 20-year travel and filmmaking ban in 2010 for “making propaganda against the system” — a directive that to this point has not slowed his directing career but has held him to the nation’s borders.
In July 2022, Panahi was arrested and imprisoned after he protested the arrest of...
His wife, Tahereh Saeidi, shared a photo of them entering an undisclosed airport to her Instagram Tuesday night, writing, “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The image indicates the first time the director and political figure behind “The White Balloon,” “The Circle,” “Taxi” and most recently “No Bears” has left Iran since he was sentenced to a 20-year travel and filmmaking ban in 2010 for “making propaganda against the system” — a directive that to this point has not slowed his directing career but has held him to the nation’s borders.
In July 2022, Panahi was arrested and imprisoned after he protested the arrest of...
- 4/26/2023
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
The long travel ban against dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, in place for the past 14 years, has apparently been lifted.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi, in a post on Instagram late Tuesday night, said the Iranian government has “canceled” the travel ban, first imposed in 2009. Accompanying the post was a posted of Saeedi and Panahi arriving at an unidentified airport.
“After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The photo shows Panahi smiling, waving, and pushing a baggage cart piled high with three large suitcases. There is not information on where the photo was taken, though online speculation has pointed to signage in the background that suggests it could be at a French airport.
The award-winning director of Taxi, The White Ballon, The Circle, and...
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi, in a post on Instagram late Tuesday night, said the Iranian government has “canceled” the travel ban, first imposed in 2009. Accompanying the post was a posted of Saeedi and Panahi arriving at an unidentified airport.
“After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The photo shows Panahi smiling, waving, and pushing a baggage cart piled high with three large suitcases. There is not information on where the photo was taken, though online speculation has pointed to signage in the background that suggests it could be at a French airport.
The award-winning director of Taxi, The White Ballon, The Circle, and...
- 4/26/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi is reported to have left Iran for the first time in 14 years following the lifting of a travel ban imposed on him in 2009.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday night showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
It was cryptically captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi is seen waving and pushing a luggage trolley laden with three large suitcases.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
There is no information on where the picture was taken although there have been suggestions on social media that the backdrop is a French airport.
Panahi – whose credits include The White Balloon, The Circle and Taxi – has spent most of his filmmaking career in the crosshairs of Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic government.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday night showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
It was cryptically captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi is seen waving and pushing a luggage trolley laden with three large suitcases.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
There is no information on where the picture was taken although there have been suggestions on social media that the backdrop is a French airport.
Panahi – whose credits include The White Balloon, The Circle and Taxi – has spent most of his filmmaking career in the crosshairs of Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic government.
- 4/26/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Whenever the Iranian regime feels threatened by public protest its reflex is to go after two groups: demonstrators, most assuredly, but also artists – especially filmmakers.
When protests surged in six provinces in May last year over rising food prices, the government promptly banged on the doors of two documentary filmmakers, Mina Keshavarz and Firouzeh Khosrovani, and arrested them. For good measure, law enforcement agents reportedly harassed numerous other filmmakers, seizing their communications equipment.
The May unrest appears mild compared to the uproar triggered in September 2022 by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with law. Security forces have attacked and killed an unknown number of demonstrators in the course of months of protests. The government also responded with an immediate clamp down on leading figures in Iranian cinema, detaining or imprisoning Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasulof, and Mostafa al-Ahmad.
When protests surged in six provinces in May last year over rising food prices, the government promptly banged on the doors of two documentary filmmakers, Mina Keshavarz and Firouzeh Khosrovani, and arrested them. For good measure, law enforcement agents reportedly harassed numerous other filmmakers, seizing their communications equipment.
The May unrest appears mild compared to the uproar triggered in September 2022 by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with law. Security forces have attacked and killed an unknown number of demonstrators in the course of months of protests. The government also responded with an immediate clamp down on leading figures in Iranian cinema, detaining or imprisoning Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasulof, and Mostafa al-Ahmad.
- 3/22/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
He was arrested in July of last year.
Update: Mohammad Rasoulof is facing more charges in Iran following his release from prison yesterday.
He is still facing three charges which if he is found guilty on all three could lead to an eight-year sentence.
The charges relate to illegal assembly and collusion against national security, insulting the regime leadership, and spreading propaganda against the state.
Original story: Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
Rasoulof, who won the Golden Bear at the...
Update: Mohammad Rasoulof is facing more charges in Iran following his release from prison yesterday.
He is still facing three charges which if he is found guilty on all three could lead to an eight-year sentence.
The charges relate to illegal assembly and collusion against national security, insulting the regime leadership, and spreading propaganda against the state.
Original story: Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
Rasoulof, who won the Golden Bear at the...
- 2/14/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
He was arrested in July of last year.
Update: Mohammad Rasoulof is facing fresh charges in Iran following his release from prison yesterday.
He is still being held in the revolutionary court for three fresh charges relating to illegal assembly and collusion against national security, insulting the regime leadership, and spreading propaganda against the state, which are being argued against him. Rasoulouf will be sentenced to eight years in prison if found guilty.
Original story: Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
Update: Mohammad Rasoulof is facing fresh charges in Iran following his release from prison yesterday.
He is still being held in the revolutionary court for three fresh charges relating to illegal assembly and collusion against national security, insulting the regime leadership, and spreading propaganda against the state, which are being argued against him. Rasoulouf will be sentenced to eight years in prison if found guilty.
Original story: Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
- 2/14/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was recently released from prison on medical grounds, now faces new charges that could land him back in jail.
Iranian authorities have brought three fresh charges against the director, accusing him of illegal
assembly and collusion against national security, of insulting the regime leadership, and of spreading propaganda against the state. If found guilty by the Revolutionary Court, Rasoulouf could receive a new eight-year prison sentence.
Rasoulof, an acclaimed director whose films have won prizes in Berlin and Cannes, is among the most prominent of the tens of thousands of Iranians who have been imprisoned in Iran over the past year for protesting against the government. Rasoulof was incarcerated last July after posting on social media calling on Iranian security forces to stop their violent attacks on demonstrators. Officially, he was imprisoned to serve out a two-year sentence initially brought against him in 2011 and...
Iranian authorities have brought three fresh charges against the director, accusing him of illegal
assembly and collusion against national security, of insulting the regime leadership, and of spreading propaganda against the state. If found guilty by the Revolutionary Court, Rasoulouf could receive a new eight-year prison sentence.
Rasoulof, an acclaimed director whose films have won prizes in Berlin and Cannes, is among the most prominent of the tens of thousands of Iranians who have been imprisoned in Iran over the past year for protesting against the government. Rasoulof was incarcerated last July after posting on social media calling on Iranian security forces to stop their violent attacks on demonstrators. Officially, he was imprisoned to serve out a two-year sentence initially brought against him in 2011 and...
- 2/14/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
He was arrested in July of last year.
Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
Rasoulof, who won the Golden Bear at the 2020 Berlinale for There Is No Evil, was arrested in July of last year after speaking out on social media against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Iranian documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad was also arrested on this date.
After the collapse of a building in May in the Iranian city of Abadan prompted unrest and a violent crackdown by security forces,...
Iranian Golden Bear-winning filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison for an undisclosed period of time, according to local media reports.
Rasoulof, who won the Golden Bear at the 2020 Berlinale for There Is No Evil, was arrested in July of last year after speaking out on social media against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Iranian documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad was also arrested on this date.
After the collapse of a building in May in the Iranian city of Abadan prompted unrest and a violent crackdown by security forces,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose There Is No Evil won the 2020 Berlinale Golden Bear for best film, has been temporarily released from prison in Iran on medical grounds.
There Is No Evil producer Farzad Pak confirmed Rasoulof’s release to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Mohammad was released on bail for medical reasons [but] there are still other accusations [against him] that the course hasn’t made a decision on yet,” said Pak. “They [the court] might take him back [into jail] or leave him in limbo.”
Rasoulof was released Saturday and is currently resting at his home in Tehran. The director’s lawyer, Maryam Kianersi, told French News Agency Afpt that his incarceration has been suspended for two weeks.
Rasoulof was incarcerated last July after posting on social media calling on Iranian security forces to stop their violent attacks on protesters who were demonstrating in the southwestern city of Abadan. Shortly after his arrest, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old...
There Is No Evil producer Farzad Pak confirmed Rasoulof’s release to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Mohammad was released on bail for medical reasons [but] there are still other accusations [against him] that the course hasn’t made a decision on yet,” said Pak. “They [the court] might take him back [into jail] or leave him in limbo.”
Rasoulof was released Saturday and is currently resting at his home in Tehran. The director’s lawyer, Maryam Kianersi, told French News Agency Afpt that his incarceration has been suspended for two weeks.
Rasoulof was incarcerated last July after posting on social media calling on Iranian security forces to stop their violent attacks on protesters who were demonstrating in the southwestern city of Abadan. Shortly after his arrest, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old...
- 2/13/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof was released from prison over the weekend, according to Iranian news outlets.
Rasoulof, who won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2020 for There Is No Evil, was arrested last July with fellow filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad.
He was detained after signing a petition titled ‘Lay Down Your Arms” calling on security forces to exercise restraint in relation to popular protests over a deadly building collapse.
Rasoulof was already on medical leave when news he was to be officially released on a temporary basis came through.
The director’s lawyer Maryam Kianersi who announced a two-week suspension of his sentence on January 11 for health reasons, told the French news agency Afp his release had been extended on a temporary basis.
There was no indication of how long Rasoulof would remain out of jail. There is no news on Al-Ahmad who was arrested at the same time as Rasoulof.
Rasoulof, who won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2020 for There Is No Evil, was arrested last July with fellow filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad.
He was detained after signing a petition titled ‘Lay Down Your Arms” calling on security forces to exercise restraint in relation to popular protests over a deadly building collapse.
Rasoulof was already on medical leave when news he was to be officially released on a temporary basis came through.
The director’s lawyer Maryam Kianersi who announced a two-week suspension of his sentence on January 11 for health reasons, told the French news agency Afp his release had been extended on a temporary basis.
There was no indication of how long Rasoulof would remain out of jail. There is no news on Al-Ahmad who was arrested at the same time as Rasoulof.
- 2/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Jafar Panahi Photo: Diyarenoon
Almost seven months after being detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison, film director Jafar Panahi is tonight a free man. He has been obliged to put up bail and the Iranian authorities are describing the arrangement as temporary, but no clear plans for further criminal proceedings have been revealed.
The No Bears director was arrested on 11 July and subsequently given a six year sentence for propaganda against the state, a charge which was filed after he showed support for previously detained filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, who was released early last month, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who remains in detention. Panahi won an appeal in the Supreme Court on 15 October but had still not been released. On 1 February he began refusing to consume food or water, and it is believed to be this which prompted the authorities to give way.
Panahi's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said that he welcomed the release,...
Almost seven months after being detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison, film director Jafar Panahi is tonight a free man. He has been obliged to put up bail and the Iranian authorities are describing the arrangement as temporary, but no clear plans for further criminal proceedings have been revealed.
The No Bears director was arrested on 11 July and subsequently given a six year sentence for propaganda against the state, a charge which was filed after he showed support for previously detained filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, who was released early last month, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who remains in detention. Panahi won an appeal in the Supreme Court on 15 October but had still not been released. On 1 February he began refusing to consume food or water, and it is believed to be this which prompted the authorities to give way.
Panahi's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said that he welcomed the release,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A tragic saga rife with human rights violations and government overreach has narrowly avoided the worst possible outcome. Critically acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been released from prison after his unjust arrest in early July of 2022, which occurred in the midst of widespread protests centered on freedom of expression throughout the country. The filmmaker's wife Tahereh Saeedi revealed the good news on social media and other outlets (via Deadline) alongside her attorney Saleh Nikbakht, who said in a terse but vindicating statement:
"Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi's release, it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision."
The court decision in question refers to the circumstances surrounding Panahi's original arrest in 2010, in which the director was handed a six-year prison sentence of "propaganda against the system" in retribution for attending the...
"Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi's release, it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision."
The court decision in question refers to the circumstances surrounding Panahi's original arrest in 2010, in which the director was handed a six-year prison sentence of "propaganda against the system" in retribution for attending the...
- 2/3/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Jafar Panahi has been released on bail from Tehran’s Evin Prison, 48 hours after he went on a hunger strike in protest of his unlawful imprisonment.
The filmmaker’s wife Tahereh Saeidi and her lawyers Saleh Nikbakht and Yusef Moulai announced the news in a phone call to independent international cinema reporter Mansour Jahani, and on social media.
“Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi’s release; But it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision,” Nikbakht said via press statement. “I am surprised by these ‘sledgehammer encounters’ with Mr. Panahi and other artists, writers, intellectuals and journalists and generally protestors of the status quo. As they even neglect to implement the decision of the highest judicial authority.”
Also Read:
Director Jafar Panahi on Hunger Strike Protest of ‘Illegal and Inhumane’ Imprisonment in...
The filmmaker’s wife Tahereh Saeidi and her lawyers Saleh Nikbakht and Yusef Moulai announced the news in a phone call to independent international cinema reporter Mansour Jahani, and on social media.
“Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi’s release; But it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision,” Nikbakht said via press statement. “I am surprised by these ‘sledgehammer encounters’ with Mr. Panahi and other artists, writers, intellectuals and journalists and generally protestors of the status quo. As they even neglect to implement the decision of the highest judicial authority.”
Also Read:
Director Jafar Panahi on Hunger Strike Protest of ‘Illegal and Inhumane’ Imprisonment in...
- 2/3/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
“No Bears” director Jafar Panahi has successfully been released from prison after being detained since July 2022.
Panahi, who recently announced a hunger strike in protest of his incarceration, was detained after inquiring about the arrests of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad following this social media protest against how the Iranian government responded to a building collapse that killed 40 people.
As previously reported, Panahi’s inquiry reactivated a six-year sentence from 2010 along with a 20-year-long filmmaking and travel ban after Panahi attended a 2009 funeral for a student killed in the Green movement, where Iranian citizens demanded the removal of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Panahi has remained in incarceration since his inquiries in July 2022.
IndieWire can confirm that Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeidi announced in a phone call to Mansour Jahani, an independent and international cinema reporter, that with the efforts of her lawyers Saleh Nikbakht and Yusef Moulai, Panahi was released from Tehran’s Evin prison.
Panahi, who recently announced a hunger strike in protest of his incarceration, was detained after inquiring about the arrests of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad following this social media protest against how the Iranian government responded to a building collapse that killed 40 people.
As previously reported, Panahi’s inquiry reactivated a six-year sentence from 2010 along with a 20-year-long filmmaking and travel ban after Panahi attended a 2009 funeral for a student killed in the Green movement, where Iranian citizens demanded the removal of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Panahi has remained in incarceration since his inquiries in July 2022.
IndieWire can confirm that Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeidi announced in a phone call to Mansour Jahani, an independent and international cinema reporter, that with the efforts of her lawyers Saleh Nikbakht and Yusef Moulai, Panahi was released from Tehran’s Evin prison.
- 2/3/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been released from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
The news was confirmed by Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeidi and her lawyers to local media and on social media.
Lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said: “Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi’s release, it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision.”
The news has been greeted with joy by the global film community, which had been campaigning for months for Panahi’s release.
The filmmaker, a regular at A-list festivals including Cannes, Berlin and Venice, had been imprisoned even though his sentence had previously been declared void by the country’s Supreme Court. He had gone on hunger strike earlier this week.
The director was arrested in early July amid a crackdown on freedom of expression, after going to Evin...
The news was confirmed by Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeidi and her lawyers to local media and on social media.
Lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said: “Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi’s release, it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision.”
The news has been greeted with joy by the global film community, which had been campaigning for months for Panahi’s release.
The filmmaker, a regular at A-list festivals including Cannes, Berlin and Venice, had been imprisoned even though his sentence had previously been declared void by the country’s Supreme Court. He had gone on hunger strike earlier this week.
The director was arrested in early July amid a crackdown on freedom of expression, after going to Evin...
- 2/3/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, French filmmaker Alice Diop and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu have demanded that Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival remove their films from the line-up of its current edition, running from February 1 to 11.
The filmmakers said in separate statements that they discovered by chance that their respective films Tori And Lokita, Saint Omer, Rebel and R.M.N. had been included in Fajr’s selection without their personal permission.
“We have just learned that our film Tori And Lokita is in the selection of the Fajr festival in Tehran,” the Dardennes said in a statement on Thursday.
“We demand that the film be withdrawn immediately from the program of this festival which is a showcase for a dictatorial and murderous religious regime that we condemn.”
Saint Omer director Alice Diop said she had been alerted to her film’s...
The filmmakers said in separate statements that they discovered by chance that their respective films Tori And Lokita, Saint Omer, Rebel and R.M.N. had been included in Fajr’s selection without their personal permission.
“We have just learned that our film Tori And Lokita is in the selection of the Fajr festival in Tehran,” the Dardennes said in a statement on Thursday.
“We demand that the film be withdrawn immediately from the program of this festival which is a showcase for a dictatorial and murderous religious regime that we condemn.”
Saint Omer director Alice Diop said she had been alerted to her film’s...
- 2/3/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles, Feb 2 (Ians) Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, known for ‘The White Balloon’, ‘The Circle’ and ‘Taxi’, is on a hunger strike to protest his ongoing detention at Iran’s harsh Evin prison, even though his sentence has been declared void by the country’s Supreme Court.
The move comes just days after hopes that the director was on the verge of being released on bail were dashed, even though his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht had successfully challenged his detention, reports ‘Deadline’.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi and son Panah Panahi released a statement on behalf of the director announcing his intention to stop eating on their Instagram accounts Wednesday evening.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behaviour of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” wrote Panahi.
“I...
The move comes just days after hopes that the director was on the verge of being released on bail were dashed, even though his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht had successfully challenged his detention, reports ‘Deadline’.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi and son Panah Panahi released a statement on behalf of the director announcing his intention to stop eating on their Instagram accounts Wednesday evening.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behaviour of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” wrote Panahi.
“I...
- 2/2/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose film “No Bears,” opened in the U.S. in December, has begun a hunger strike to protest to protest his continued detention at the notoriously harsh Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, despite an Iranian Supreme Court ruling that overturned his conviction in January.
His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, and son, Panah Panahi, both shared his statement in Instagram posts on Wednesday.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” the statement shared with media outlets read.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release. I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison.”
Also Read:
‘No Bears’ Review: Jafar Panahi Continues to Create Powerful Art,...
His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, and son, Panah Panahi, both shared his statement in Instagram posts on Wednesday.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” the statement shared with media outlets read.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release. I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison.”
Also Read:
‘No Bears’ Review: Jafar Panahi Continues to Create Powerful Art,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Jailed Iranian film director Jafar Panahi has begun a hunger strike in Evin prison.
The filmmaker’s wife, Tahereh Saeidi, announced the protest action on her Instagram page. In a statement issued from his prison cell and sent to The Hollywood Reporter by the director’s publicist, who translated the message, Panahi recounted his recent imprisonment by Iran’s judiciary to complete a six-year prison sentence imposed over a decade ago.
Panahi, a former Golden Bear winner whose social-issue films have drawn retribution from the Islamic Republic, recounted joining other Iranian filmmakers July 20 to protest the arrest of two colleagues, only to find himself in Evin prison after being resentenced by a judge.
“This arrest was more like banditry and hostage-taking than the execution of a judicial sentence,” Panahi writes. The defiant director, whose most recent film, No Bears, premiered in Venice, adds he will refuse all food, drink and...
The filmmaker’s wife, Tahereh Saeidi, announced the protest action on her Instagram page. In a statement issued from his prison cell and sent to The Hollywood Reporter by the director’s publicist, who translated the message, Panahi recounted his recent imprisonment by Iran’s judiciary to complete a six-year prison sentence imposed over a decade ago.
Panahi, a former Golden Bear winner whose social-issue films have drawn retribution from the Islamic Republic, recounted joining other Iranian filmmakers July 20 to protest the arrest of two colleagues, only to find himself in Evin prison after being resentenced by a judge.
“This arrest was more like banditry and hostage-taking than the execution of a judicial sentence,” Panahi writes. The defiant director, whose most recent film, No Bears, premiered in Venice, adds he will refuse all food, drink and...
- 2/1/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian “No Bears” filmmaker Jafar Panahi has announced a hunger strike to protest his continued incarceration in Iran’s Evin prison, even after the country’s courts voided his sentence last week.
In July of last year, Panahi went to the Evin prison to inquire about the arrests of fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who were detained for their social media protest over the government response to a building collapse that killed more than 40 people.
Panahi’s inquiry reactivated a six-year sentence the director was originally handed in 2010 along with a 20-year-long filmmaking and travel ban, and he’s remained in incarceration since his inquiries.
The reactivated sentencing originated from Panahi’s attendance of a 2009 funeral for a student killed in the Green movement, where Iranian citizens demanded the removal of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The award-winning director’s films have regularly challenged Iranian systems and traditions, and his most recent film “No Bears,...
In July of last year, Panahi went to the Evin prison to inquire about the arrests of fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who were detained for their social media protest over the government response to a building collapse that killed more than 40 people.
Panahi’s inquiry reactivated a six-year sentence the director was originally handed in 2010 along with a 20-year-long filmmaking and travel ban, and he’s remained in incarceration since his inquiries.
The reactivated sentencing originated from Panahi’s attendance of a 2009 funeral for a student killed in the Green movement, where Iranian citizens demanded the removal of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The award-winning director’s films have regularly challenged Iranian systems and traditions, and his most recent film “No Bears,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has gone on a hunger strike to protest his ongoing detention at Iran’s notoriously harsh Evin prison, even though his sentence has been declared void by the country’s Supreme Court.
The move comes just days after hopes that the director was on the verge of being released on bail were dashed, even though his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht had successfully challenged his detention.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi and son Panah Panahi published a statement from the director announcing his intention to stop eating on their Instagram accounts Wednesday evening.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” wrote Panahi.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release.
The move comes just days after hopes that the director was on the verge of being released on bail were dashed, even though his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht had successfully challenged his detention.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi and son Panah Panahi published a statement from the director announcing his intention to stop eating on their Instagram accounts Wednesday evening.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” wrote Panahi.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release.
- 2/1/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Jafar Panahi continues to sit in an Iranian prison, serving a six-year sentence due to his inquiries about arrests of fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad. The international film community overwhelmingly denounced his imprisonment as unjust, and the director was able to speak to the world through statements as his latest film, “No Bears,” made the rounds during the 2022 fall festival circuit.
With “No Bears” no longer making headlines, updates on Panahi’s imprisonment have become few and far between. But his wife Tahereh Saeedi recently took to her private Instagram account to explain that her lawyers believe his imprisonment is a violation of Iranian law, as the statute of limitations on his charges has expired.
“One year ago, the verdict of 6 years prison of Jafar was 10 years old and we thought Jafar wouldn’t go back to prison,” Saeedi wrote. “According to the same law that he was judged by,...
With “No Bears” no longer making headlines, updates on Panahi’s imprisonment have become few and far between. But his wife Tahereh Saeedi recently took to her private Instagram account to explain that her lawyers believe his imprisonment is a violation of Iranian law, as the statute of limitations on his charges has expired.
“One year ago, the verdict of 6 years prison of Jafar was 10 years old and we thought Jafar wouldn’t go back to prison,” Saeedi wrote. “According to the same law that he was judged by,...
- 1/28/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Jafar Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi issued a fresh appeal for her imprisoned husband to be released as his period of captivity entered 200 days, in an Instagram post on Thursday.
Her statement follows the news at the weekend that Panahi was possibly on the verge of being released on bail after his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht successfully challenged his detention in the Supreme Court last October.
“Last week, the news came that Jafar will be released within the week. We were happy again and felt better. Today, a week has passed, and Jafar hasn’t come. Exactly 200 days have passed since Jafar was imprisoned. We are disappointed,” she wrote.
Panahi was arrested in early July amid a crackdown on freedom of expression, after going to a prosecutor’s office in Tehran to enquire the about whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad following their detention a few days previously.
It...
Her statement follows the news at the weekend that Panahi was possibly on the verge of being released on bail after his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht successfully challenged his detention in the Supreme Court last October.
“Last week, the news came that Jafar will be released within the week. We were happy again and felt better. Today, a week has passed, and Jafar hasn’t come. Exactly 200 days have passed since Jafar was imprisoned. We are disappointed,” she wrote.
Panahi was arrested in early July amid a crackdown on freedom of expression, after going to a prosecutor’s office in Tehran to enquire the about whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad following their detention a few days previously.
It...
- 1/26/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won best actress at Cannes for her performance in Ali Abassi’s “Holy Spider” is set to head the jury of the Nordic competition at the Göteborg Film Festival.
Ebrahimi is a celebrated Iranian actor, director, producer and casting director. Her credits include “Bride Price vs. Democracy,” “Teheran Tabu” and Noora Niasari’s film “Shayda” which is set to compete at Sundance. She currently stars in “White Paradise,” a contemporary western directed by Guillaume Renusson which just came out in France.
Ebrahimi will be joined on the jury by actress Sofie Gråbøl, director Antonio Lukich and composer Matti Bye.
“I am incredibly proud to be leading a jury of these impressive artists so that we may not only amplify the stellar work in the festival, but to also draw attention to the atrocities happening every day around us,” said Ebrahimi.
The actor fled from the Iranian...
Ebrahimi is a celebrated Iranian actor, director, producer and casting director. Her credits include “Bride Price vs. Democracy,” “Teheran Tabu” and Noora Niasari’s film “Shayda” which is set to compete at Sundance. She currently stars in “White Paradise,” a contemporary western directed by Guillaume Renusson which just came out in France.
Ebrahimi will be joined on the jury by actress Sofie Gråbøl, director Antonio Lukich and composer Matti Bye.
“I am incredibly proud to be leading a jury of these impressive artists so that we may not only amplify the stellar work in the festival, but to also draw attention to the atrocities happening every day around us,” said Ebrahimi.
The actor fled from the Iranian...
- 1/5/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Acclaimed Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti has been released from prison.
Alidoosti’s mother, Nadereh Hakim Elahi, announced the news via an Instagram story posted Wednesday morning. The actor’s attorney, Zahra Minooei, also shared the news on Twitter. In the post, Minooei said: “Today, my client Ms. Taraneh Alidoosti will be released from Evin Prison after posting bail.”
Alidoosti, one of the nation’s most prominent actresses and star of the 2022 Cannes Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, was arrested on December 17 2022, days after she criticized the Iranian state’s use of the death penalty against protesters. The actress has been daringly vocal in her support of freedom protests sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September.
In early November, she posted a picture of herself without a headscarf on her Instagram account, holding a piece of paper reading ‘women, life, freedom.’ A few days later,...
Alidoosti’s mother, Nadereh Hakim Elahi, announced the news via an Instagram story posted Wednesday morning. The actor’s attorney, Zahra Minooei, also shared the news on Twitter. In the post, Minooei said: “Today, my client Ms. Taraneh Alidoosti will be released from Evin Prison after posting bail.”
Alidoosti, one of the nation’s most prominent actresses and star of the 2022 Cannes Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, was arrested on December 17 2022, days after she criticized the Iranian state’s use of the death penalty against protesters. The actress has been daringly vocal in her support of freedom protests sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September.
In early November, she posted a picture of herself without a headscarf on her Instagram account, holding a piece of paper reading ‘women, life, freedom.’ A few days later,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Niro and his Tribeca Festival Co-Founder Jane Rosenthal have joined the chorus of calls for Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti to be released from prison, along with “other members of Iran’s art and entertainment community who have risked their lives to speak out against the government.”
Double Oscar winner De Niro is the highest profile person to have publicly chastized the Iranian regime for its behavior since Alidoosti’s arrest, joining the likes of Asghar Farhadi, SAG-AFTRA and various European Film Institutions and Festivals.
Alidoosti, one of the nation’s most prominent actresses and star of Cannes Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, was arrested and detained six days ago after expressing solidarity with anti-government demonstrators on Instagram where she posed without a headscarf. She had condemned those who did not speak out on the execution of protester Mohsen Shekari.
In a Tribeca statement in the past hour signed by De Niro and Rosenthal,...
Double Oscar winner De Niro is the highest profile person to have publicly chastized the Iranian regime for its behavior since Alidoosti’s arrest, joining the likes of Asghar Farhadi, SAG-AFTRA and various European Film Institutions and Festivals.
Alidoosti, one of the nation’s most prominent actresses and star of Cannes Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, was arrested and detained six days ago after expressing solidarity with anti-government demonstrators on Instagram where she posed without a headscarf. She had condemned those who did not speak out on the execution of protester Mohsen Shekari.
In a Tribeca statement in the past hour signed by De Niro and Rosenthal,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amsterdam-based International Coalition For Filmmakers At Risk (Icfr) has issued a statement protesting the arrest of Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti and demanding her immediate and unconditional release.
The body, created in 2019 to advocate for cinema professionals at risk of political persecution, was joined by founding partners, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and European Film Academy, together with the German Film Academy and the Berlin Film Festival.
“We declare our full and heartfelt solidarity with all those in Iran who stand up for their basic human rights and the freedom of expression and call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Taraneh Alidoosti and her colleagues,” They said. “We encourage all film and culture institutions around the world to do the same.
Alidoosti, who is one of Iran’s most celebrated contemporary actresses, was arrested over the weekend.
The actress, whose credits include...
The body, created in 2019 to advocate for cinema professionals at risk of political persecution, was joined by founding partners, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and European Film Academy, together with the German Film Academy and the Berlin Film Festival.
“We declare our full and heartfelt solidarity with all those in Iran who stand up for their basic human rights and the freedom of expression and call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Taraneh Alidoosti and her colleagues,” They said. “We encourage all film and culture institutions around the world to do the same.
Alidoosti, who is one of Iran’s most celebrated contemporary actresses, was arrested over the weekend.
The actress, whose credits include...
- 12/21/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi has demanded the release of actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who was arrested in Iran.
In an Instagram post, Farhadi wrote: “I have worked with Taraneh on four films and now she is in prison for her rightful support of her fellow countrymen and her opposition to the unjust sentences being issued. If showing such support is a crime, then tens of millions of people of this land are criminals.”
Taraneh was reportedly detained after expressing solidarity with anti-government protestors in a social media post on charges of “spreading falsehoods” relating to the protest movement. Before her social media was switched off, she had condemned people who had not spoken out against the execution of human rights activist Mohsen Shekari.
Farhadi directed Alidoosti in The Salesman, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017, and has worked with her on several other films.
Alidoosti was at...
In an Instagram post, Farhadi wrote: “I have worked with Taraneh on four films and now she is in prison for her rightful support of her fellow countrymen and her opposition to the unjust sentences being issued. If showing such support is a crime, then tens of millions of people of this land are criminals.”
Taraneh was reportedly detained after expressing solidarity with anti-government protestors in a social media post on charges of “spreading falsehoods” relating to the protest movement. Before her social media was switched off, she had condemned people who had not spoken out against the execution of human rights activist Mohsen Shekari.
Farhadi directed Alidoosti in The Salesman, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017, and has worked with her on several other films.
Alidoosti was at...
- 12/20/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi says he “stands with” his The Salesman and About Elly star Taraneh Alidoosti after the actress was arrested over the weekend.
Iranian state media reported that Alidoosti was detained after she posted a comment on Instagram expressing solidarity with Mohsen Shekari, the first person to have been officially executed by the Tehran regime for crimes allegedly committed during the anti-government protests that have shaken Iran for months.
In a post on his official Instagram account, Farhadi called out Alidoosti’s arrest, saying if “showing support [for protestors] is a crime, tens of millions of people of this land are criminals.” He called on the authorities to release her, along with Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, “and all the other lesser-known prisoners whose only crime is the attempt for a better life.”
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A post...
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi says he “stands with” his The Salesman and About Elly star Taraneh Alidoosti after the actress was arrested over the weekend.
Iranian state media reported that Alidoosti was detained after she posted a comment on Instagram expressing solidarity with Mohsen Shekari, the first person to have been officially executed by the Tehran regime for crimes allegedly committed during the anti-government protests that have shaken Iran for months.
In a post on his official Instagram account, Farhadi called out Alidoosti’s arrest, saying if “showing support [for protestors] is a crime, tens of millions of people of this land are criminals.” He called on the authorities to release her, along with Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, “and all the other lesser-known prisoners whose only crime is the attempt for a better life.”
View this post on Instagram
A post...
- 12/20/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian authorities have arrested Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the country’s best known actresses, after she expressed solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in a social media post.
The BBC, quoting an Iranian state media agency, reported Alidoosti was detained on charges of “spreading falsehoods” about the protest movement that has gripped the country, state media said. In an Instagram post last week, she condemned the execution of a man over his involvement with the protests.
She has been a frequent thorn in the regime’s side. Earlier, she posted an Instagram photo without a headscarf, a garment required in the Islamic Republic. It was done in solidarity with widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, for not wearing a headscarf in public.
Alidoosti is the latest member of the Iranian arts and entertainment community to be detained. The list includes filmmakers Jafar Panahi,...
The BBC, quoting an Iranian state media agency, reported Alidoosti was detained on charges of “spreading falsehoods” about the protest movement that has gripped the country, state media said. In an Instagram post last week, she condemned the execution of a man over his involvement with the protests.
She has been a frequent thorn in the regime’s side. Earlier, she posted an Instagram photo without a headscarf, a garment required in the Islamic Republic. It was done in solidarity with widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, for not wearing a headscarf in public.
Alidoosti is the latest member of the Iranian arts and entertainment community to be detained. The list includes filmmakers Jafar Panahi,...
- 12/17/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian filmmaker is producer of Dariush Mehrjui’s ‘A Minor’.
Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian has been barred from travelling to the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) by authorities – the latest in a series of sanctions that have sparked the creation of a new protest organisation.
Dormishian had been due to attend the world premiere of Dariush Mehrjui’s A Minor in Goa, a film on which he is producer and is playing in competition at Iffi. However, Dormishian was not granted a permit to leave Iran, his passport was confiscated at the airport, and he was referred to a court of law for prosecution.
Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian has been barred from travelling to the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) by authorities – the latest in a series of sanctions that have sparked the creation of a new protest organisation.
Dormishian had been due to attend the world premiere of Dariush Mehrjui’s A Minor in Goa, a film on which he is producer and is playing in competition at Iffi. However, Dormishian was not granted a permit to leave Iran, his passport was confiscated at the airport, and he was referred to a court of law for prosecution.
- 11/28/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Filmmaker Reza Dormishian has been barred by Iranian authorities from traveling to the International Film Festival of India in Goa, where “A Minor,” a film he produced was due to play in competition.
He is only the latest member of Iran’s film community to be sanctioned by the Iranian regime for expressing anti-government views.
Dormishian had been invited by Iffi to accompany the film that was directed by Dariush Mehrjui. However, the Iranian authorities did not grant him a permit to leave Iran. The film played on Thursday and Friday.
“A Minor” tells a story of a woman who is torn between her free-thinking daughter, who wants to study music, and her more conservative husband.
When Dormishian went to the airport his passport was confiscated. “He was referred to the court of law for prosecution,” sources close to the filmmaker report. It is not clear if Dormishian was arrested...
He is only the latest member of Iran’s film community to be sanctioned by the Iranian regime for expressing anti-government views.
Dormishian had been invited by Iffi to accompany the film that was directed by Dariush Mehrjui. However, the Iranian authorities did not grant him a permit to leave Iran. The film played on Thursday and Friday.
“A Minor” tells a story of a woman who is torn between her free-thinking daughter, who wants to study music, and her more conservative husband.
When Dormishian went to the airport his passport was confiscated. “He was referred to the court of law for prosecution,” sources close to the filmmaker report. It is not clear if Dormishian was arrested...
- 11/27/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
‘No Bears’, ‘A Bunch Of Amateurs’, ‘Retrograde’ as counter-programming.
UK-Ireland cinemas are looking for Disney blockbuster sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to inject new life into the box office this weekend as the film opens in a hefty 700 cinemas.
The release is over 100 sites up on the 588-site opening of 2018’s Black Panther. That film started with a £10.5m weekend and £17.7m total opening at a colossal average of £30,105 per site.
Black Panther took more in its first six days than the entire runs of most other films introducing a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including The Incredible Hulk...
UK-Ireland cinemas are looking for Disney blockbuster sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to inject new life into the box office this weekend as the film opens in a hefty 700 cinemas.
The release is over 100 sites up on the 588-site opening of 2018’s Black Panther. That film started with a £10.5m weekend and £17.7m total opening at a colossal average of £30,105 per site.
Black Panther took more in its first six days than the entire runs of most other films introducing a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including The Incredible Hulk...
- 11/11/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who was at the Cannes Film Festival this year with Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, has posted an image of herself on social media without her headscarf in support of ongoing protests in Iran calling for freedom for women.
Her defiant removal of her headscarf, which is obligatory in public settings for women under Iran’s Sharia Law, comes as widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on September 16 enter their third month in Iran.
Posing with her long hair hanging loose, Alidoosti held up a sign carrying the slogan of the protest “Woman. Life. Freedom.” in the Kurdish language, even though she herself does not have Kurdish roots.
Her Instagram post was accompanied by a poem that read: “Your last absence, like the migration of singing birds, doesn’t mark the end of this rebellion.”
Alidoosti...
Her defiant removal of her headscarf, which is obligatory in public settings for women under Iran’s Sharia Law, comes as widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on September 16 enter their third month in Iran.
Posing with her long hair hanging loose, Alidoosti held up a sign carrying the slogan of the protest “Woman. Life. Freedom.” in the Kurdish language, even though she herself does not have Kurdish roots.
Her Instagram post was accompanied by a poem that read: “Your last absence, like the migration of singing birds, doesn’t mark the end of this rebellion.”
Alidoosti...
- 11/10/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to six years in Iranian prison in July, and has thus not been able to attend the festival rollout of his new feature, “No Bears.” His ninth narrative film premiered at the Venice, Toronto, London, and New York film festivals, but Panahi has remained incarcerated throughout its turn on the circuit after he inquired about the arrests of fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad amid a dire political moment for Iran.
“No Bears,” which Janus and Sideshow release stateside on December 23, finds Panahi playing a fictionalized version of himself pitted in a moment of crisis at a rural border town in Iran en route to direct a new feature in Turkey. On Friday, “No Bears” plays the Miami Film Festival where, ahead of the screening, Panahi will be honored with a Precious Gem Award. (Last year’s Precious Gem went to Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
“No Bears,” which Janus and Sideshow release stateside on December 23, finds Panahi playing a fictionalized version of himself pitted in a moment of crisis at a rural border town in Iran en route to direct a new feature in Turkey. On Friday, “No Bears” plays the Miami Film Festival where, ahead of the screening, Panahi will be honored with a Precious Gem Award. (Last year’s Precious Gem went to Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
- 11/4/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Iran continues to be gripped by nationwide protests against the Islamic regime, demonstrations sparked by the Sept. 13 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, while in police custody, after having been arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab.
The protests are the largest and most sustained bout of civil unrest to grip Iran since 2009 and are seen by many as a true threat to the future of the country’s Islamic rulers.
While Amini’s death was the spark that ignited this current wave of demonstrations, unrest had been simmering all summer in Iran, and the response by the police has been brutal. In July, authorities imprisoned two Iranian directors, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa al-Ahmad, for voicing opposition on social media to the government’s violent crackdown. In response, Jafar Panahi,...
Iran continues to be gripped by nationwide protests against the Islamic regime, demonstrations sparked by the Sept. 13 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, while in police custody, after having been arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab.
The protests are the largest and most sustained bout of civil unrest to grip Iran since 2009 and are seen by many as a true threat to the future of the country’s Islamic rulers.
While Amini’s death was the spark that ignited this current wave of demonstrations, unrest had been simmering all summer in Iran, and the response by the police has been brutal. In July, authorities imprisoned two Iranian directors, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa al-Ahmad, for voicing opposition on social media to the government’s violent crackdown. In response, Jafar Panahi,...
- 10/17/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.
Haghighi was expected to present there the UK premiere of his latest film, ‘Subtraction’, reports Variety.
In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday Haghighi said: “I’m very sorry that I’m unable to be there with you tonight in the theatre. I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday.”
“They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour.”
“So naturally on the way home from the airport, I was wondering about this and I was asking myself, why would the Iranian regime want to prevent me, a filmmaker, from leaving my own country? And I came up with two theories. The first one is this: a couple of weeks ago,...
Haghighi was expected to present there the UK premiere of his latest film, ‘Subtraction’, reports Variety.
In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday Haghighi said: “I’m very sorry that I’m unable to be there with you tonight in the theatre. I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday.”
“They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour.”
“So naturally on the way home from the airport, I was wondering about this and I was asking myself, why would the Iranian regime want to prevent me, a filmmaker, from leaving my own country? And I came up with two theories. The first one is this: a couple of weeks ago,...
- 10/15/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival. Haghighi was expected to present there the U.K. premiere of his latest film, “Subtraction.”
In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday (Oct. 15), Haghighi said: “I’m very sorry that I’m unable to be there with you tonight in the theatre. I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday. They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour.”
“So naturally on the way home from the airport, I was wondering about this and I was asking myself, why would the Iranian regime want to prevent me, a filmmaker, from leaving my own country? And I came up with two theories. The first one is this: a couple of weeks ago,...
In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday (Oct. 15), Haghighi said: “I’m very sorry that I’m unable to be there with you tonight in the theatre. I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday. They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour.”
“So naturally on the way home from the airport, I was wondering about this and I was asking myself, why would the Iranian regime want to prevent me, a filmmaker, from leaving my own country? And I came up with two theories. The first one is this: a couple of weeks ago,...
- 10/14/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Lobby group calls on Iranian authorities to stop use of violence.
The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has published a statement expressing its “full and heartfelt solidarity” with those protesting in Iran for “their basic human rights and the freedom of expression.”
Protests calling for the fall of the clerical establishment have swept Iran since Mahsa Amini’s death in custody on September 16 while being detained by the morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate attire”.
The unrest is now considered the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979.
In a statement titled, Solidarity with the People of Iran,...
The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has published a statement expressing its “full and heartfelt solidarity” with those protesting in Iran for “their basic human rights and the freedom of expression.”
Protests calling for the fall of the clerical establishment have swept Iran since Mahsa Amini’s death in custody on September 16 while being detained by the morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate attire”.
The unrest is now considered the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979.
In a statement titled, Solidarity with the People of Iran,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Protest
Oscar and Venice-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras and fellow filmmakers Georgia Oakley (“Blue Jean”), Roberto Minervini (“What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?”) and Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) were among those who protested against the imprisonment of Iranian filmmakers and other incarcerated artists around the world, and to demonstrate support for the tenacious women of Iran who are challenging for their freedom at the BFI London Film Festival on Monday.
They joined festival director Tricia Tuttle, producer Madeleine Molyneaux (“Gospel Hill”); actors Aurélia Petit (“Saint Omer”) and Taki Mumladze (“A Room of My Own”); actor and writer Mariam Khundadze (“To Batumi and every single memory”); writer Morgan M. Page (“Framing Agnes”); industry leaders Tabitha Jackson, Clare Binns and Jason Wood; and other festival delegates in a moment of solidarity and reflection.
They stood together holding the names of imprisoned Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Al-Ahmad and Jafar Panahi,...
Oscar and Venice-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras and fellow filmmakers Georgia Oakley (“Blue Jean”), Roberto Minervini (“What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?”) and Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) were among those who protested against the imprisonment of Iranian filmmakers and other incarcerated artists around the world, and to demonstrate support for the tenacious women of Iran who are challenging for their freedom at the BFI London Film Festival on Monday.
They joined festival director Tricia Tuttle, producer Madeleine Molyneaux (“Gospel Hill”); actors Aurélia Petit (“Saint Omer”) and Taki Mumladze (“A Room of My Own”); actor and writer Mariam Khundadze (“To Batumi and every single memory”); writer Morgan M. Page (“Framing Agnes”); industry leaders Tabitha Jackson, Clare Binns and Jason Wood; and other festival delegates in a moment of solidarity and reflection.
They stood together holding the names of imprisoned Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Al-Ahmad and Jafar Panahi,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Members of the UK film community came together at the BFI Southbank.
Around 40 members of the UK filmmaking community came together at the BFI Southbank yesterday (October 10) to stand in solidarity with jailed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the women leading the protest movement in Iran and all those demonstrating for freedom in the country.
BFI London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle led the event, which was attended by filmmakers and executives including: Picturehouse’s managing director Clare Binns; former Sundance director Tabitha Jackson; All The Beauty And The Bloodshed filmmaker Laura Poitras; Blue Jean director Georgia Oakley; No Kings director...
Around 40 members of the UK filmmaking community came together at the BFI Southbank yesterday (October 10) to stand in solidarity with jailed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the women leading the protest movement in Iran and all those demonstrating for freedom in the country.
BFI London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle led the event, which was attended by filmmakers and executives including: Picturehouse’s managing director Clare Binns; former Sundance director Tabitha Jackson; All The Beauty And The Bloodshed filmmaker Laura Poitras; Blue Jean director Georgia Oakley; No Kings director...
- 10/11/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
As the Iranian government cracks down on filmmakers and other artists who use their voices to criticize it, few have paid a steeper price than Jafar Panahi. The “Taxi” and “3 Faces” director was recently sentenced to six years in prison due to his inquiries about the arrests of fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad.
The sentence, which most of the international film community has denounced as unjust, has temporarily prevented the auteur from making more films. But that hasn’t stopped him from having a presence on the fall festival circuit. His latest work, “No Bears,” recently premiered to strong reviews at the Venice International Film Festival. In Panahi’s trademark style, the film mixes fact and fiction as it documents his attempts to work as a filmmaker while essentially exiled from his own country. Panahi was honored in Venice, and an empty seat was left open for him...
The sentence, which most of the international film community has denounced as unjust, has temporarily prevented the auteur from making more films. But that hasn’t stopped him from having a presence on the fall festival circuit. His latest work, “No Bears,” recently premiered to strong reviews at the Venice International Film Festival. In Panahi’s trademark style, the film mixes fact and fiction as it documents his attempts to work as a filmmaker while essentially exiled from his own country. Panahi was honored in Venice, and an empty seat was left open for him...
- 10/10/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran, more than 50 French female artists have banded together to show their support of the ongoing protests in Iran.
Amini died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested for not properly wearing her hijab to fully cover her hair. Iranian police said she died of a heart attack, but eyewitnesses claim she was beaten to death. Women around the world have since cut a lock of their hair with #HairForFreedom to show their support for Amini and in solidarity with Iranian women living under the Islamic Republic’s strict theocratic rule.
Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani, and Charlotte Gainsbourg were among the French actresses to cut their hair in a viral Instagram video. Binoche says “for freedom” when blindly cutting her hair atop her head. A Persian version of Italian anti-fascist resistance ballad “Bella Ciao” is performed by...
Amini died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested for not properly wearing her hijab to fully cover her hair. Iranian police said she died of a heart attack, but eyewitnesses claim she was beaten to death. Women around the world have since cut a lock of their hair with #HairForFreedom to show their support for Amini and in solidarity with Iranian women living under the Islamic Republic’s strict theocratic rule.
Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani, and Charlotte Gainsbourg were among the French actresses to cut their hair in a viral Instagram video. Binoche says “for freedom” when blindly cutting her hair atop her head. A Persian version of Italian anti-fascist resistance ballad “Bella Ciao” is performed by...
- 10/5/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Sideshow and Janus Films have picked up all U.S. rights to No Bears, the latest film from Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi. The drama premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won a special jury prize. We Like has acquired all Canadian rights .The deal was negotiated by Celluloid Dreams on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.
Sideshow and Janus will do a US theatrical release for the film and said they are planning a best director Oscar campaign for Panahi, who has become a face of the resistance to the Iranian regime. The acclaimed director of Taxi, The Circle and This is Not a Film is currently in prison, serving a 6-year sentence for his protesting the government in Tehran. The sentence was originally handed down in 2010, when Panahi also received a 20-year filmmaking ban. He, however,...
Sideshow and Janus Films have picked up all U.S. rights to No Bears, the latest film from Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi. The drama premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won a special jury prize. We Like has acquired all Canadian rights .The deal was negotiated by Celluloid Dreams on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.
Sideshow and Janus will do a US theatrical release for the film and said they are planning a best director Oscar campaign for Panahi, who has become a face of the resistance to the Iranian regime. The acclaimed director of Taxi, The Circle and This is Not a Film is currently in prison, serving a 6-year sentence for his protesting the government in Tehran. The sentence was originally handed down in 2010, when Panahi also received a 20-year filmmaking ban. He, however,...
- 9/28/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Venice’s red carpet became a stage for quiet protest on Friday, as festival director Alberto Barbera and jury president Julianne Moore, among many more, held a somber walk-out to stand in solidarity with imprisoned filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
Traffic on the red carpet flowed normally as attendees made their way into Venice’s Palazzo del Cinema for the world premiere of Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears.” And then, at 4:30 pm sharp, the doors to the theater swung open and a sea of people filed out. Moore stood with a delegation that also included fellow juror Audrey Diwan, Horizons jury president Isabel Coixet, and filmmakers Laura Bispuri and Sally Potter.
In a steely show of resolve, many held posters calling for the release of Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, the three Iranian filmmakers imprisoned earlier this year. Others stood for Myanmar’s Ma Aeint and Turkey’s Çiğdem Mater,...
Traffic on the red carpet flowed normally as attendees made their way into Venice’s Palazzo del Cinema for the world premiere of Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears.” And then, at 4:30 pm sharp, the doors to the theater swung open and a sea of people filed out. Moore stood with a delegation that also included fellow juror Audrey Diwan, Horizons jury president Isabel Coixet, and filmmakers Laura Bispuri and Sally Potter.
In a steely show of resolve, many held posters calling for the release of Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, the three Iranian filmmakers imprisoned earlier this year. Others stood for Myanmar’s Ma Aeint and Turkey’s Çiğdem Mater,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Venice jury head Julianne Moore joined activists from the International Coalition Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) in a flash mob on the Venice red carpet Friday evening to call for the release of Jafar Panahi, the Iranian director who was detained in Tehran in July.
Venice jury member Audrey Diwan joined Moore on the frontlines of the protest alongside filmmaker Sally Potter, Orizzonti Jury President Isabel Coixet, and Venice festival head Antonio Barbera.
Venice Review: Jafar Panahi’s ‘No Bears’
The participants held placards depicting Panahi’s face alongside the message: “Release Jafar Panahi!”
The protest took place on the Palazzo Del Cinema red carpet prior to the screening of Pahani’s latest film No Bears, which screens in competition.
Panahi has been in custody since July 12 after going to the prosecutor’s office in Tehran to follow up on the whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad after they...
Venice jury member Audrey Diwan joined Moore on the frontlines of the protest alongside filmmaker Sally Potter, Orizzonti Jury President Isabel Coixet, and Venice festival head Antonio Barbera.
Venice Review: Jafar Panahi’s ‘No Bears’
The participants held placards depicting Panahi’s face alongside the message: “Release Jafar Panahi!”
The protest took place on the Palazzo Del Cinema red carpet prior to the screening of Pahani’s latest film No Bears, which screens in competition.
Panahi has been in custody since July 12 after going to the prosecutor’s office in Tehran to follow up on the whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad after they...
- 9/9/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
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