The 'Whale' Gets Stuck in the Ministry of Culture; Second Problematic Film of 2015

The film 'Whale', directed by Saman Moghadam, is the second film in 2015 to face issues for screening. According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture, there is currently no plan for the film's release. 'Whale', previously known as 'Whale Amber', follows the film 'Daughter's House' by Shahram Shah Hosseini, which has also been postponed due to some objections and considerations. A few days ago, Hossein Nourollahi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture of Iran, officially announced in a press conference that there is currently no plan for the release of these two films. Earlier, some media outlets reported that 'Daughter's House' was boycotted by the Art House and the Tehran Municipality, and these two bodies would not allow the film to be screened in their affiliated cinemas. After this decision became public, Hojjatollah Ayoubi, head of the Cinema Organization, stated in an interview with reporters that this issue is merely talk and that no definitive decision has been made yet, and officials from these two bodies have not announced anything regarding this matter. However, the statements made on Tuesday, April 8, by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture clarified that the problems with these two films are not just talk, and there are serious opponents to the screening of these two works. Hossein Nourollahi mentioned in his press conference that the two films 'Daughter's House' and 'Whale Amber' are under review and that some corrections have been made with the cooperation and help of the director and producer of 'Daughter's House'. He stated, 'It seems that the issues concerning this film are being resolved, but no decision has been made for its screening in the near future.' Regarding the status of 'Whale Amber', the spokesperson said, 'This film has been reviewed once due to its comedic nature, and the necessary corrections have been noted.' According to this official, 'Whale Amber' is under review for the second time and will not be screened for now. In conclusion, Hossein Nourollahi stated that the main issue with the two films 'Whale Amber' and 'Daughter's House' is that 'these films are under review due to content-related viewpoints and issues that do not align with certain national and Islamic teachings, and after resolving these problems, they will be queued for screening.' In this context, the Kayhan newspaper recently published an article about 'Whale Amber', stating that this film 'deals with the romantic story of Iran-US relations.' The director of 'Daughter's House' went from being a defender of the Ministry of Culture to criticizing it. Last November, during the controversies surrounding the prevention of the screening of 'I Am Not Angry' by Reza Dormishian, Shahram Shah Hosseini criticized those who pressured the Ministry of Culture to release this film in a note published in the cinema newspaper Bani Film. In his letter, he implicitly requested that Reza Dormishian's film not be screened, writing, 'Now is not the time for the screening of I Am Not Angry; if you want Jannati not to meet the fate of Mohajerani, Nili Monfared, Faraji Dana, and Jafari, back down so that the relative stability that everyone is probably aware of remains stable. Let's be a little camera-conscious and worry about the overall issue and not just one film, now that the parliament has drawn its sword and is waiting to impeach the Minister of Culture, why should we provide a tool for it?' Shah Hosseini concluded his letter by stating, 'Let us remember that nothing strange will happen; I Am Not Angry belongs to my dear friend, whom I respect greatly. Out of respect for his unseen film, I will stand up, and I am sure it will be screened under better conditions.' However, it only took a few months for Shahram Shah Hosseini's own film to suffer the same fate as 'I Am Not Angry' and other problematic films. After the spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture announced that there was no plan for the screening of 'Daughter's House', Shahram Shah Hosseini published another letter addressed to the head of the Cinema Organization in the news agencies. A few days ago, in his letter to Hojjatollah Ayoubi, he criticized the prevention of his film's screening, writing, 'Daughter's House faced corrections after the festival, all of which were made... It was expected that a higher authority like the Ministry of Culture would fully support a film that seven members of the construction permit council and seven members of the screening permit council recognized and signed for, and announce once and for all that 'Daughter's House' has a screening permit and has no issues for screening so that the uproar would end once and for all.' 'Daughter's House' deals with the issue of 'virginity' in Iranian society, which caused some controversies during its screening at the Fajr Festival last year; afterwards, some websites and media accused this work, like some others, of blackening the image and called for its suspension. The screenplay of this film was written by Parviz Shahbazi, and it stars Hamed Behdad, Baran Kowsari, Rana Azadivar, and Pegah Ahangarani. 'Whale Amber'; issues with the presence of Arzhang Sanobar at the front. 'Whale Amber', directed by Saman Moghadam, was ready for screening last year, but due to some considerations, it was decided not to participate in the Fajr Festival. Saman Moghadam's film became sensitive from the days it was being filmed. The presence of the Minister of Culture at the filming location of 'Whale Amber' raised the suspicion that Ali Jannati was present on set to be informed about the work's controversies and to emphasize the adherence to certain red lines. The film tells the story of a character named 'Arzhang Sanobar', played by Reza Attaran, across various time periods from the 1960s to the 1990s. This character finds himself in different situations during specific historical moments, and thus the film's story progresses with a comedic narrative. It is said that one of the sensitive parts of the film is where Arzhang Sanobar decides to flee the country to escape the front but is arrested and sent to war. Mahnaz Afshar, Vishka Asayesh, and Hanieh Tosiy are other actors in this film. Saman Moghadam has another film in his portfolio that has been banned for years and has not found the opportunity for public screening. 'A Hundred Years to This Year', produced in 2007, has received a screening permit but has not been allowed to be screened. This film narrates the life of a woman named Iran, who experiences various events over thirty years.