Eight Films Banned by Order of Parliament; 'Seized Films'

The retreat of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Cinema Organization of the eleventh government in the face of pressures began during last year's Fajr Film Festival; where the extra screenings of 'I'm Not Angry' were canceled, the press conference for the film did not take place, and most importantly, the director was forced to withdraw his film from the festival's competition. The result of the cinematic managers' concession and their failure to stand firm on their legal positions, which had previously been a recurring issue, has now caught up with Iranian cinema. A few weeks ago, the head of the Cultural Commission of Parliament announced that a letter had been sent to the Ministry of Culture stating that there is no right to screen eight films. This letter followed the news of the Ministry's decision to screen 'I'm Not Angry,' and the parliamentarians were determined to ensure that several films, even at the cost of the minister's impeachment and removal, would not be screened under any circumstances. The Ministry of Culture, when the issue of the minister's impeachment arose, changed its stance, deemed the screening of 'I'm Not Angry,' which it had previously insisted on, to be off the table, and even the ministry's spokesperson implicitly stated in a press conference that there was no plan to screen seven other films. This article attempts to provide an overview of the circumstances and reasons that have led to eight films, some of which were also banned in previous administrations, currently being unable to be publicly screened due to the recommendations and pressures from Parliament. 1- I'm Not Angry (Reza Derakhshani / 2013) The second feature film by Reza Derakhshani, who had previously directed the film 'Ghogh', is the main reason for the dispute between Parliament and the Ministry of Culture regarding film screenings. The film, which was quietly made in 2013 and sent to the Fajr Festival, was included in the initial list of competition films. This film, which simultaneously (and with a different ending) was also present at the Berlin Festival, attracted public attention with its few initial screenings at Fajr, leading to several extra screenings. Due to the heated subject matter of 'I'm Not Angry' and the ensuing controversies, further extra screenings were prevented despite numerous requests, and even the film's press conference was not held at Milad Tower. At the festival's closing ceremony, although the film was nominated in several main categories and according to some jury members, two awards for Best Actor (Navid Mohammadzadeh) and Best Editing (Hayedeh Safiyari) were claimed to have been awarded to Derakhshani's film, this young director was forced to withdraw from the competition. Since those days, hardline media in Iran began to threaten the Ministry of Culture to ensure that 'I'm Not Angry,' which they claimed was a film supporting the sedition, would not be screened under any circumstances. The attacks intensified when the Cinema Organization announced that 'I'm Not Angry,' after revisions, had transformed from a political film into a social one and was set to be screened in mid-November. Following that, some parliament members began writing letters to the Ministry and even threatened to impeach the minister. The result was that the Minister of Culture and the head of the Cinema Organization, who had insisted on screening this film for several months, retreated after the pressure escalated and preferred expediency over the law they had signed. However, the story of 'I'm Not Angry' revolves around a star student who is expelled from university and seeks to find a suitable job to convince the father of his beloved daughter to agree to their marriage. In this film, alongside the main storyline, there are references to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's promises during his years of management in the country, the situation of expelled students, and some political events of recent years. The Ministry of Culture spokesperson's opinion: The lack of screening at present does not mean it will never be screened, and the Ministry of Culture only states that this film has been removed from the screening order, and if considerations are met and further revisions are made, the minister's and other institutions' opinions will be satisfied, the film will be screened. 2- Stories (Rakhshan Bani-Etemad / 2011) Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, in 2011, quietly and without a film production license, brought the film 'Stories' to the screen. This new work by the director is an episodic piece about the fate and future of some characters from her old films like 'Under the Skin of the City,' 'Out of Bounds,' 'Blue Scarf,' and 'Narges.' Bani-Etemad brought the people from her films into the present time and depicted their current situation. The film, because it was produced without a production license, faced a very harsh reaction from the then head of the Evaluation and Supervision Department, Alireza Sajjadpour. Sajjadpour stated: 'Rakhshan Bani-Etemad has illegally started her film without a production license, and the actors in the film will face the consequences of their illegal actions. Actors who sign contracts with such films will face legal repercussions.' 'Stories' did not receive a screening permit during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration and under the presidency of Javad Shamgardi in cinema, but with the coming to power of the new government, it was one of the few banned films that received a screening permit during Hassan Rouhani's administration. The film was shown at last year's Fajr Festival, and some news agencies like '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 shown at the Venice Festival and won the Best Screenplay award. After that, even Ali Jannati, the minister whose own organization had granted the film a screening permit, began to criticize Bani-Etemad's work and films labeled as 'black portrayals.' 'Stories,' like 'I'm Not Angry,' has a screening permit and legally has no restrictions for its screening. The director and even the film distributor had spoken a few months ago about their interest in screening in the fall. However, the discussion of this film's official screening has not yet been raised in the Guild Council for Display. The opinion of the Ministry of Culture spokesperson: 'Stories' directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad received a video screening permit in the previous term and has been converted to a cinematic version in this term, but currently, no request has been made for its screening. 3- Father's House (Kianoush Aiyari / 2010) Kianoush Aiyari returned to cinema in 2010 with the film 'Father's House' after several years of being involved in the series 'Roozgar Gharib.' The previous works of this selective director were low-profile films, and few expected that this social filmmaker would create a film that would not have the opportunity for public screening for years. The story of 'Father's House' unfolds in five episodes. The film begins in 1929, and the main criticisms directed at the film relate to the first episode; where a father and his fifteen-year-old son murder a family daughter over honor issues and bury her in the basement of the house. A very shocking and horrifying episode that, according to censorship officials in Iran, must be removed from the film, but Kianoush Aiyari refuses to comply. However, the story of the film 'Father's House' continues in four other episodes, each with a few years' time gap, showing the same family in the same original house and how their situation has changed over time. This film was made with the budget of the police force, but after a while, the officials of this institution joined the ranks of the film's opponents and even after the screening of 'Father's House' in Venice, threatened Aiyari with a lawsuit. 'Father's House' had the opportunity to participate in the Fajr Festival of 2013 during Hassan Rouhani's administration and the early months of the new cinema management. Aiyari's film's presence at the festival and its visibility did not significantly help resolve the film's issue, and 'Father's House' has yet to achieve public screening. The opinion of the Ministry of Culture spokesperson: 'Father's House' directed by Kianoush Aiyari has not yet received a screening permit, and we have provided revisions to it and are in the process of interacting with the director to implement them. 4- Lovely Trash (Mohsen Amiryousefi / 2012) Mohsen Amiryousefi's films have always been controversial. From his first film 'Bitter Sleep,' which was permanently banned after a few screenings, to 'Fireworker,' which was banned for several years and had a limited screening after extensive censorship; 'Lovely Trash,' his third film, has not fared better than his previous films. The film is said to contain explicit references to the events of the 2009 elections, and for this reason, the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which was its main investor, transferred ownership of the work back to the director. The story of 'Lovely Trash' takes place in the house of an elderly woman living with her middle-aged daughter. In one of the days following the 2009 elections, some protesters who have fled from security forces enter the elderly woman's house and hide there. After they leave the house, the elderly woman notices a mark on her door, and her neighbors tell her that security forces will likely visit her house in the coming days... In the elderly woman's room, there are three framed photos of three men. The first man is the elderly woman's son, who was killed in the Iran-Iraq war. The second frame belongs to her brother, who was among the opponents executed during the events of the 1980s, and the third frame belongs to the elderly woman's husband, who was apparently a supporter of Mossadegh and faced events during the coup of August 19. The continuation of the film's story deals with the imaginary conversations of these three men with the elderly woman during a night when she thinks they will come for her the next day. 'Lovely Trash' received a production permit during Javad Shamgardi's administration and went into production; however, it was later stated that the screenplay differed fundamentally from what was ultimately produced. Amiryousefi's film was deemed unshowable during the previous government, and some hoped that under Hassan Rouhani's administration and the new cinema management, the lock on this film's screening would be opened. However, this film has also been deemed unshowable in the current government, and no effort has been seen to resolve its issue. Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, Habib Rezaei, Hediyeh Tehrani, Negar Javaherian, Saber Abar, and Shahab Hosseini are the actors in this film. The opinion of the Ministry of Culture spokesperson: 'Lovely Trash,' despite the insistence of the producer and some political figures, has not yet received a screening permit and is halted in the Ministry of Culture, and there is no plan for its screening. 5- Report of a Celebration (Ebrahim Hatamikia / 2010) Hatamikia filmed 'Report of a Celebration' at a time when his film 'In the Color of Crimson' had just been unbanned after five years of being banned and was screened during Javad Shamgardi's management. Few imagined that Shamgardi would screen Hatamikia's controversial film, which had not even had the opportunity to be screened during Mohammad Khatami's administration, and instead would not grant a screening permit to this new film made during his own term. Those who have seen 'Report of a Celebration' refer to it as 'Glass Agency 2'; the story begins at a marriage institution managed by a powerful woman named Banoo (played by Roya Timorian). The film takes place over 24 hours, during which a wedding is supposed to be held at this marriage institution, which is actually an old factory. The young members of this institution are very excited about holding the ceremony, but this wedding is disrupted by the arrival of a police officer (played by Reza Kianian), who carries an order to shut down the institution. Opponents of the film linked its story to the 2009 elections, and some referred to Hatamikia's work as a 'pro-sedition' film. The film's final scenes, which depict the protests of the young members of the institution against the police in the street, including footage filmed with mobile phones, are seen by some as reminiscent of the protests following the elections, and for this reason, the film did not receive a public screening permit. Nevertheless, Javad Shamgardi's kindness once again favored Ebrahim Hatamikia, and the Cinema Organization purchased the ownership of the film so that at least financially, no harm would come to Hatamikia and his producer. After this incident, 'Report of a Celebration' was effectively shelved, and neither the director nor the producer made any efforts or motivation for its public screening. The opinion of the Ministry of Culture spokesperson: 'Report of a Celebration' was purchased by the Media and Image Institute during the previous government, and the Ministry of Culture effectively owns it, and no request for its screening exists. 6- Calm Streets (Kamāl Tabrizi / 2010) Kamāl Tabrizi and his films have usually been controversial, especially those that have humorously critiqued social, political, and even religious issues. From 'Lizard,' which was pulled from the screen after a few weeks, to 'Reward,' which has been banned for about seven years. 'Calm Streets' was quietly filmed in 2010 in Armenia, had a few limited screenings at the Fajr Festival that year, and was subsequently banned for an indefinite period. The story of the film takes place in a fictional city and country; part of the police force in this city, in collusion with some of the government officials, arrests individuals, murders some, and generally creates insecurity. Another part of the police, also managed by the same first part, is pursuing events and trying to establish security; a journalist (played by Niki Karimi) is following the events and, given the severe censorship, tries to pursue the issues. Opponents of the film labeled some of the references in it, such as the theft of statues in the city, nuclear energy production at home, and some other events, as the director's mischief, claiming he sought to indirectly depict issues inside Iran, especially the events after the 2009 elections. At the end of October 2011, Kamāl Tabrizi announced that his film had received a screening permit and was awaiting screening, but it was stated that this film had no advertising rights, either on television or in public spaces. The screening of 'Calm Streets' has been...