Kianoush Ayari's Reaction to the Apology of the Head of the Cinema Organization

Kianoush Ayari reacted to the apology of the head of the Cinema Organization for the non-screening of his film "Khaneh Pedari" (Father's House), stating that the only achievement from the film not being screened is the apology of an official. Hojjatollah Ayubi, the head of the Cinema Organization, had recently apologized on his Facebook page to all those who were upset by the lack of opportunities for the screening of "Khaneh Pedari" in the Art and Experience group. On Friday, January 12, Ayari told ISNA news agency, "Among the numerous losses caused by the non-screening of 'Khaneh Pedari' from various financial and non-financial aspects, perhaps the only achievement is Mr. Ayubi's apology." Ayari further emphasized that the action of the head of the Cinema Organization is significant because he apologized to the people, stating, "People generally do not get used to hearing apologies in such situations, and I do not know when was the last time they heard an apology from an official." The filmmaker concluded his remarks by expressing hope that this civilized act by Ayubi would remain as a positive legacy from the non-screening of 'Khaneh Pedari' for at least a portion of society and would be generalized. "Khaneh Pedari", Ayari's eleventh feature film, was finally screened on January 4 in one of the theaters of the Kourosh Cinema Complex in Tehran after many ups and downs, but it remained on screen for only two days before its showing was halted. Following this incident, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, announced that based on government decisions regarding the screening of films, movies containing violence cannot be publicly screened, and therefore, the public showing of Kianoush Ayari's film is not possible. It was previously reported that the Cultural Commission of the Parliament had requested the censorship of some scenes from the film and that Ayari had been given until January 12 to implement them. In this context, on Saturday, January 6, Shahrokh Dastourtabar, the producer of "Khaneh Pedari", stated in an interview with Iska News that "it is unlikely that Kianoush Ayari will censor the film"; according to the producer, "If Mr. Ayari was going to remove the discussed issues from the film, he would have done it four years ago." "Khaneh Pedari", made in 2010, was banned for several years. The film explicitly depicts some oppressive issues against women in an Iranian family. Last year, it was supposed to be screened publicly without any censorship and with age restrictions in a few limited cinemas in Tehran and other cities. The story of "Khaneh Pedari" unfolds in five episodes, starting in 1929, and the main criticisms of the film relate to the first episode, where a father and his fifteen-year-old son murder the daughter of the family over honor-related issues and bury her in the basement of the house. This shocking and horrifying episode, which Iranian censors claim must be removed from the film, is something Ayari refuses to comply with. However, the story of "Khaneh Pedari" continues in four other episodes, each showing the same family in the same house at different times and their changing circumstances.