[Archive 2011-10-16] Iran continues to lash out at film industry

Historical archive — originally published 2011-10-16. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

An Iranian court in Tehran yesterday confirmed film director Jafar Panahi's sentence to six years in jail, and a twenty-year ban on filmmaking. Charges against the award-winning director were summarised by state media as, "[...] acting against national security and propaganda against the regime".

Panahi's is the second high-profile case this week; actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and one year in jail for starring in the controversial Australian-produced film My Tehran For Sale, directed by Iranian-Australian Granaz Moussavi. The film is about a young Tehrani actress whose work is banned by the government.

Iranian commentators heavily criticised the film, which is being distributed illegally in Iran, and in July Vafamehr was arrested. Producers Julie Ryan and Kate Croser state they "did not set out to produce a political film." Stressing, "[w]e definitely didn't set out to make a film that criticised the government". The role played by Vafemehr shows her with a shaved head, and without a hijab.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's office issued a statement condemning Vafemehr's sentence.

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