Berlin Festival Responds to Tehran Prosecutor: Anke Luike is Currently in Germany

The Berlin Film Festival has reacted to the statements of the Tehran prosecutor regarding the arrest of its representative in Tehran, stating that Anke Luike has left Tehran and is currently in Germany. The media office of the Berlin Festival, in response to Radio Farda's inquiry about the arrest or detention of its representative in Tehran, confirmed that Anke Luike has departed Tehran and is now in Germany. However, the Berlin Festival refrained from providing further details about the events that occurred at Imam Khomeini International Airport during the representative's departure from Iran. The media office of the Berlin Festival stated that it does not intend to take a position on this matter for now. The Tehran prosecutor had said on Monday that a woman named Anke Luike recently entered the country and was arrested while attempting to leave after contacting some individuals he referred to as 'convicted of sedition.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi also mentioned that more than 60 'underground and unauthorized' films were confiscated from Luike. Security agents seized the films in Luike's suitcase on Sunday morning, December 7, when she was returning from Tehran, and prevented her translator, Noushafarin Dastouri, from leaving Iran. Anke Luike has been traveling to Iran for several years before the Berlin Festival to view new Iranian films and select them for participation in the festival. However, her recent trip has been accompanied by controversy. The newspaper Shargh previously reported that following the confiscation of the films and the prevention of her translator's departure, Luike decided to stay in Tehran but left the city the day after the incident. Noushafarin Dastouri, the translator for the Berlin Festival representative, told the 'Cinema Cinema' website that she answered 'some questions' at the airport for several hours but was informed that she was currently banned from leaving the country. The Tehran prosecutor did not disclose the names of the confiscated films, but Radio Farda has learned that several new Iranian films that are in the process of technical preparation were among those seized. Hojjatollah Ayoubi, head of the Iranian Cinema Organization, reacted to the Tehran prosecutor's statements about the confiscation of 60 films on Tuesday, stating that he is waiting for the names of these films to be announced by the prosecutor's office. He mentioned that once the films are announced, the number of authorized and unauthorized films will be clarified. Although it is unclear which entity prevented the departure of the films with the Berlin Festival representative and her translator from Iran, this incident has been welcomed by some media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards. For instance, the Fars News Agency recently welcomed the incident, considering it an action to prevent 'cultural infiltration.' Iranian cinema has had a significant presence at the Berlin Festival in recent years. The film 'Taxi' by Jafar Panahi won the Golden Bear at the festival two years ago. Last year, the film 'Dragon Arrives' was present in the competition section, and 'Lantouri' was in the Panorama section, while the documentary 'Dreams of Dawn' directed by Mehrdad Oskui won one of the festival's side awards.