Hollywood Strikes; Tehran Stops

The popular series "Tehran" had to halt filming in Greece due to a strike by actors in Hollywood. New Sultan, the lead actress in the series, announced this news on her Instagram page, stating, "We had to stop working just five days before finishing, after seven months; this is very strange." An independent source, who wished to remain unnamed, separately confirmed this news in an interview with Voice of America, saying, "While the cast and crew are currently in Athens, filming has stopped." The story of this popular series, which is broadcast through Apple TV+, narrates the battle between Israeli security forces and Iranian security forces, featuring well-known actors. Since last Thursday, following unsuccessful negotiations between the Hollywood Actors Union and major Hollywood studios during a press conference in Los Angeles, the union has urged actors to join the strike of their writer colleagues, who have been on strike for about two months. The main demands of the strikers include job security, clarity on the use of artificial intelligence in Hollywood productions by major film studios, and an increase in wages, which have significantly decreased since the emergence of streaming platforms. This is the first strike by the Actors Guild since 1960, during Ronald Reagan's presidency of the guild. Amir Giti, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, primarily focuses on news related to political, social, and technological issues. Amir began his journalism career in Iran and, after leaving the country and collaborating with foreign news media, joined Voice of America in 2021. He reports from California for Voice of America.