30 Iranian Actresses Protest Against 'Lustful Mafia'

Last week, a letter addressed to the Deputy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization was published by 30 female actresses protesting against the 'unhealthy and undesirable behind-the-scenes of most television projects' and the implicit existence of corruption. This letter, whose signatories are not disclosed, was made public by Faghihah Soltani, one of Iran's television actresses, a few days after it was sent to television executives. The main content of the letter is the actresses' objection to the conditions that, according to them, 'producers of certain television works present to them' and their 'refusal to accept unethical proposals' has led to their unemployment. In part of this letter addressed to the Iranian television deputy, it is written: 'We hope you, dear brother, are aware of the unhealthy and undesirable behind-the-scenes of most television projects; be informed about the polluted relationships and the powerful mafia of some incompetent and lustful individuals whose influence and power to bring such people into the sacred scene of Islamic television is increasing day by day.' In another section of this letter addressed to Asghar Pourmohammadi, it is stated: 'How is it that some reputable and ethical actresses with reasonable and humane wages are left unemployed by these opportunists for various excuses, solely because of not paying bribes and maintaining their dignity and professional boundaries?' One of the actresses' protests reflected in their letter is their marital status and the lack of job offers from television program producers. They wrote in their letter: 'How is it that the majority of reputable women in this profession are unintentionally sidelined from television and cinema in the Islamic Republic due to family formation and marriage, which is recommended and commanded by Islam?' This letter was made public by Faghihah Soltani, who has a history of acting in several television series and films, in an interview with the 'Bani Film' newspaper earlier this week. This actress emphasized that all signatories of this open letter are experienced and active actresses in television and cinema, stating that many of these actresses have received job offers from Persian-language satellite channels but prefer to work in their own country and for Iranian television and cinema. However, after the publication of this letter by the 30 actresses, several of them met with Asghar Pourmohammadi, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization, on May 12 and discussed their concerns with him. In this meeting, which was held behind closed doors without the presence of journalists, Mr. Pourmohammadi acknowledged that the concerns of these actresses are worth examining, stating that 'irresponsibility and immorality of any individual in any position will be dealt with.' He announced: 'I have always tried to support the insightful artists of the country in every responsibility and at all times, and today I will not allow any misuse of the job within the broadcasting organization.' A list of the actresses present at this meeting has not been published, but based on several photos released from this session, Faghihah Soltani, Shirin Bina, Zahra Hamidi, Aram Jafari, and Masoumeh Karimi can be mentioned as some of the signatories of the protest letter. In recent years, the issue of 'corruption in Iranian cinema and television' has faced varied reactions from industry professionals. A few years ago, Parastoo Salehi, an actress in several films and series, protested against the existence of 'corruption in cinema' on her Facebook page. She later emphasized in an interview with Fars News Agency that 'the right of our cinema is not to have a group of opportunistic, corrupt, and mentally and sexually ill individuals.' This statement elicited reactions from other actors and cinema professionals, with Bahram Radan and Niki Karimi responding in interviews. Niki Karimi stated in an interview that 'to be honest, when I read these comments, I feel very sorry because in these 20 years that I have been in this cinema, I have seen a cinema that is extremely correct and humane.' Bahram Radan also harshly stated that 'all those who have commented on corruption in Iranian cinema have nothing to do with cinema, and anyone who says cinema is corrupt should leave it.' After the protest letter from the 30 actresses, there has been no response from television series and film producers regarding this letter.