Ministry of Culture's Response to Parliament Representatives' Protests: We Stand by Film Permits

In response to a request from several parliament representatives to halt the screening of two films, "Oxygen" and "Mother of the Atomic Heart," the Deputy Minister of Culture announced that the response from two "security" agencies regarding one of these films was positive, and this ministry will "stand by the issued permits" for them. Mohammad Mahdi Heydarian, the Deputy Minister of Cinema, stated on Friday, July 7, in an interview with Mehr News Agency that inquiries were made to two "security" agencies regarding one of the films, and after meetings, these agencies announced that their concerns about the film had been alleviated. Heydarian also claimed that these representatives had not seen the films before publishing their letter and had not spoken to the filmmakers. Nineteen conservative representatives of the Iranian parliament described the two films "vulgar" in a letter to the Minister of Culture and demanded that their screenings be stopped. These representatives claimed that the films insulted "sacred religions," and Fars News Agency reported that the screening of these films had led to criticism from the Armenian community in Iran. However, the claims of these representatives and Fars News Agency come despite the fact that the Armenian diocese in Iran has not reacted to the screening of these films. Previously, Varand Petrosian, an Armenian actor in the film "Oxygen," stated that the church referenced in the film is a Catholic church. Meanwhile, Alireza Rahimi, a representative from Tehran, stated on Thursday that discussions with the producer of "Oxygen" and another official from the Cinema Organization revealed that the film was made "to promote religious rapprochement." The film "Oxygen," directed and written by Hamed Mohammadi, is a comedy about a person intending to emigrate. The film also humorously addresses the ban on previous Iranian presidents appearing on screen. "Mother of the Atomic Heart," directed by Ali Ahmadzadeh, was screened in June 2017 after three years of disputes over censorship of parts of it and the issuance of a screening permit. This film attempts to portray a less seen image of affluent Tehran youth with their unconventional relationships and concerns, with a significant portion of it taking place in a car, where two young girls are returning home from a night party and encounter various people along the way. The letter from the conservative representatives comes at a time when the Cultural Commission and conservative representatives of the ninth parliament had previously pressured to halt the screening of at least eight films. However, the majority of the tenth parliament is made up of reformists and supporters of President Hassan Rouhani. In recent years, several other films that were produced with permits have not received public screening for various reasons. Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Culture, had previously requested in a letter to Mohammad Mahdi Heydarian, the head of the Cinema Organization, to clarify the status of the confiscated films within two months. The Cinema Organization of the Ministry of Culture has not yet published a report on the status of these films.