Minister of Culture: 'House of Father' Not Suitable for Public Screening

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance has recently stated that the film 'House of Father' cannot be corrected or screened publicly, but it may be shown in a limited capacity. Ali Jannati, on Sunday, January 7, spoke to reporters about the latest status of the film's screening, saying: 'According to the government's decisions regarding the screening of films, films that contain violence, especially the severe violence present in this film, are definitely not suitable for public screening, and therefore, we announce that we cannot screen this film publicly.' According to Mehr News Agency, in response to a reporter who mentioned that 'some members of the parliament believe that the film 'House of Father' should not be screened,' Jannati stated: 'The Film Screening Supervision Council has approved this film, but my personal opinion is that due to the presence of certain violent sections, it is not suitable for public screening.' However, Jannati continued, 'Of course, this film may be able to be screened in a limited manner, such as in a private showing at the Cinema Museum, with special conditions that those under 16 years old cannot watch it, and only adults can view it.' Meanwhile, regarding the parliament's opinion on censoring the film's initial sections, the Minister stated: 'This section is also not correctable because if we remove the first part of the film, where a father buries his daughter alive in a horrific manner, the entire story is lost, and since it is not correctable, the film is also not suitable for public screening.' On the other hand, Amir Hossein Alam al-Hoda, the executive secretary of the Art and Experience Cinema Group, which was supposed to screen 'House of Father' directed by Kianoush Ayari, announced through a message to news agencies that the screening of this film has been postponed until suitable conditions are met. This comes as the public screening of 'House of Father' had begun on January 4 at one of the Korush Cinema Complex theaters in Tehran, and the film was shown in 10 sessions over two days. The story of 'House of Father' unfolds in five episodes. The film starts in 1929, and most of the criticisms directed at it 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. This shocking and horrifying episode, which according to Iranian censorship officials, must be removed from the film, is something Kianoush Ayari refuses to comply with. However, the story of 'House of Father' continues in four other episodes, each separated by several years, showing the same family in the same house and their situation at different times. It was previously reported that the Cultural Commission of the parliament requested the censorship of certain scenes in the film and gave Kianoush Ayari a deadline until January 12 to implement them. In this regard, on Saturday, January 6, Shahrokh Dastourtabar, the producer of 'House of Father,' stated in an interview with Iska News that 'it is unlikely that Kianoush Ayari will censor the film'; according to the producer, 'if Ayari were to remove the parliament's discussed issues from the film, he would have done it four years ago.' 'House of Father,' made in 2010, was banned for several years. This film explicitly depicts some oppressive issues against women in an Iranian family. Last year, it was present at the Fajr Film Festival with a screening permit and was supposed to be screened publicly in several limited theaters in Tehran and other cities without any censorship and with age restrictions for audiences. Although it was scheduled to be screened in four theaters in Tehran and two in Mashhad and Isfahan, due to external pressures, only one cinema in Tehran began screening the film on January 4 and showed it for two days. The screening began even as on January 3, Morteza Aghatehrani, the first vice president of the Cultural Commission of the parliament, announced in an interview with Fars News Agency that the parliament had requested the film not be screened. Aghatehrani stated: 'In discussions with the officials of the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Commission's concerns were conveyed to them, and the result will be the non-screening of this film.' Following pressure on the Ministry of Culture, the screening of 'House of Father' was halted, and the fate of the film once again fell into uncertainty.