Iran Gives A Director A Six Month Prison Sentence Because He Showed His Film At Cannes:
Martin Scorsese has signed a plea to stop Saeed Roustaee, a well-known Iranian film maker, from going to jail because he showed a picture at the Cannes Film Festival.
Scorsese, who won an Oscar for directing Taxi Driver as well as Goodfellas, shared this week a campaign that his daughter Francesca started after hearing about Roustaee’s jail term. Scorsese wrote on Instagram, “Please sign the petition in order to get justice for Saeed.”
The Iranian Film Director Who Filmed The Movie “Leila’s Brothers” Were Sentenced To A Period Of Six Months In Prison:
The news sources in Iran say that a well-known Iranian film director as well as an Iranian producer were sentenced to six months in jail on Tuesday for making the movie “Leila’s Brothers” and showing it at the annual Cannes Film Festival without official authorization.
Last year, “Leila’s Brothers,” which was up for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, was shown in Cannes by director Saeed Roustayi as well as producer Javad Norooz Beigi.
The movie is about a family trying to get by while Iran is under international sanctions. There are scenes of protests within the Islamic Republic to be a series of mass rallies shake the country.
In Iran, The Movie “Leila’s Brothers” Is Not Allowed To Be Shown:
Iranian media said on Tuesday that Roustaee, who is 34 years old, was given a six-month jail sentence because his picture Leila’s Brothers was shown at the Cannes picture Festival last year. The movie is banned within Iran because it shows how hard it is for a family within Tehran to make money.
The Iranian liberal daily newspaper Etemad said that Roustaee and the movie’s director, Javad Noruzbegi, were found guilty of “contributing to the propaganda of the opposition in opposition to the Islamic system.” The sentence says that the person can’t work for five years.
Etemad said that the filmmakers will only spend approximately nine days in jail and that the rest of their time “will be suspended for a period of five years.” He also said that the decision could be fought.
In The Movie, Security Forces Are Also Shown Hitting Protesters Who Are Upset About Iran’s Bad Economy:
The film also shows security forces beating protesters who are upset about Iran’s bad economy, which has already led to large-scale demonstrations and violent crackdowns by security forces that have killed hundreds.
Iran’s currency, the rial, has been losing value quickly for years, which has caused the family to lose all of their funds.
Francesca Scorsese, an actress and director, wrote in her plea, “We have a short period of time to help get enough support to appeal his sentence.” She asked people to sign to ensure that Roustaee could “keep being a force for good in the world.”
On Thursday, The Petition Had More Than 10,000 Signatures, Which Is Two Thirds Of The Way To Its Goal Of 15,000:
On Thursday, the petition had gotten about two-thirds of the signatures it needed to get to its goal of 15,000. Last year at Cannes, the International Federation of Film Critics gave the award to the movie Leila’s Brothers.
Official Iranian media said that the film “broke the rules by being shown at international film festivals without permission” as well as that the director declined to “correct” it as asked by the culture ministry.
“Leila’s Brothers” didn’t win the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, but it did win two other awards.
Even Though The Movie Did Well, The Authorities Within Tehran Did Not Put It Up For An Oscar:
But officials in Tehran did not put the movie up for an Oscar nomination, even though it did well at a famous French film festival. Roustayi later attacked this decision in comments that were made public.
Roustaee Has Become Known All Over The World Since His 2019 Movie Just 6.5:
This week, the people in charge of the Cannes Film Festival spoke out against “a serious violation of free speech for Iranian artists, film-makers, producers, as well as technicians.” Iran’s film industry has been going strong for a long time, and people like Jafar Panahi as well as Asghar Farhadi have won awards all over the world.
Roustaee has become known all over the world since the release of his movies Just 6.5 in 2019. This film takes a hard look at Iran’s drug problem as well as the brutal and ineffective police reaction.
