Bani-Etemad's Banned Film Released

The film "Tales" directed by Rokhsareh Bani-Etemad, which had not been allowed to be screened for several years, was finally released to the public on Wednesday, May 6. This film, which received a screening permit and was present at the Fajr Festival in 2013, had previously been unable to be screened in cinemas due to opposition from certain institutions and organizations, such as the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Last year, members of the Cultural Commission of the Assembly sent a letter to the Minister of Culture requesting the suspension of eight films, including "Tales". Due to pressures on the Ministry of Culture and the Cinema Organization, and despite plans for its release last fall, the film was shelved for several months. Last week, it was announced that "Tales" would finally be screened. In a meeting on Tuesday, May 14, the Screening Guild's council did not register the screening contract for this film, and the spokesperson stated that the discussion about the film's screening had been raised but no conclusion was reached. Finally, last night, Iranian news agencies reported that in an extraordinary meeting, the screening of "Tales" was approved, and Bani-Etemad's film would be shown in cinemas in Tehran and other cities starting today, Wednesday. However, among the cinemas screening this film, those under the Tehran municipality and the Art Bureau are not included, as they have boycotted "Tales". Rokhsareh Bani-Etemad filmed "Tales" in 2011, quietly and without a production permit. This new work by the director is an episodic piece about the fate and future of some characters from her previous films such as "Under the Skin of the City", "Out of Bounds", "Blue Scarf", and "Narges". Bani-Etemad brought her characters to the present time and depicted their current situation. The film faced a very harsh reaction from the then-head of the Supervision and Evaluation Department, Alireza Sajadpour, because it was produced without a request for a production permit. Sajadpour stated, "Rokhsareh Bani-Etemad illegally started her film without a production permit, and the actors will face consequences for their illegal actions. Actors who contract with such films will face legal repercussions." "Tales" did not receive a screening permit during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and while Javad Shamghadri was in charge of cinema, but with the new government coming to power, it became one of the few banned films that received a screening permit during Hassan Rouhani's administration. The film was shown at the Fajr Festival in 2013, and some news agencies, such as "Fars", severely criticized Bani-Etemad and her film, accusing her of blackening the image. The attacks against Bani-Etemad's film intensified when it was screened at the Venice Film Festival and won the Best Screenplay award. Following that, even Ali Jannati, the minister who had granted the film a screening permit, began to criticize Bani-Etemad's work and films labeled as "black portrayals". Afterward, both the Minister of Culture and officials from the Cinema Organization announced that there were currently no plans to screen "Tales", and it would be shown in the future at an appropriate time. The screening of "Tales" in Iranian cinemas began on Wednesday morning, and so far, there has been no criticism or reaction from opponents of the film's screening.