Iran punishes a director for a Cannes-winning film

(AFP) TEHRAN – According to local media on Tuesday, a court in Iran condemned well-known film director Saeed Roustaee to six months in prison for the showing of his movie “Leila’s Brothers” at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

Iran has outlawed the film “Leila’s Brothers” since it was released there last year. It tells a fascinating and complicated story of a family in Tehran who are experiencing financial struggle.

At the Cannes Film Festival the previous year, the film was up for the Palme d’Or award. It earned the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award despite not winning the top prize.

Roustaee and the film’s producer Javad Noruzbegi, according to the reformist newspaper Etemad on Tuesday, “were sentenced to six months in prison for screening the movie at Cannes Film Festival.”

They were found guilty of “contributing to the propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system.” Roustaee and Noruzbegi.

After “Leila’s Brothers” “broke the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorisation,” it was prohibited, according to official media at the time. The filmmaker also refused to “correct” the film as the cultural ministry had demanded.

The filmmakers will only serve one-twentieth of their sentence—roughly nine days—and the other portion “will be suspended over five years,” according to Etemad, which also noted that the decision is appealable.

The newspaper reported that the accused would have to complete a course in filmmaking while “preserving national and ethical interests” and refrain from interacting with other movie industry experts.

Since the publication of his film “Just 6.5” in 2019, which takes an unflinching look at Iran’s drug issue and the cruel and futile police reaction, Roustaee, 34, has achieved recognition on a global scale.

Iran has always had a vibrant film industry, with names like Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi winning accolades internationally.