In Iran, the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture imposes a strict process of review and approval for all screenplays before films can be legally produced in the country. Films that are produced also face censorship, and directors are often ordered to remove certain scenes before the authorities allow them to screen the film. Prominent director Abdolreza Kahani migrated to France in 2015 after three of his films were banned in the Islamic Republic and he was prevented from submitting them to international festivals. His films, which focus on social issues in the country, had great commercial success but “sometimes a filmmaker’s actions become more important than his films,” he told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) in a recent interview.
CHRI: What kind of censorship do filmmakers encounter in Iran? Which agencies are involved?
Kahani: First, the screenplay has to be submitted to the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry. A censorship committee of eight or nine people will review it. After the film is made, it has to be reviewed by the Screening Permit Council.
But after the council issues a permit, many other authorities can create problems, including the Islamic Propagation Organization (IPO), the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the municipality and others.
For instance, the IRIB could refuse to show the trailer [on national TV] for certain films. Or the municipality could refuse to let it be shown at theatres. Every organization will raise obstacles in any way they can. Filmmakers always had issues with the Guidance Ministry but now they have to deal with other agencies as well. In fact, censorship has not gone away; it has become even worse.
CHRI: Are members of the review committees known by the filmmakers? Are they themselves engaged in the film profession? Are they film critics?
Kahani: There is a department of the Guidance Ministry called the Office for Overseeing and Evaluating Films. It is the censorship office, in essence. They watch all the films. Some of them are permanent members and others change with every new government. Some of them are filmmakers who like to engage in censorship as well. That is one of the strange aspects of the film industry in Iran.
The committee watches the films to ensure that the people would not be “corrupted” by certain scenes. That always made me ask the question: How is it that the sensors themselves are not corrupted when they watch these films?
CHRI: Are censorship requests communicated verbally or in writing?
Please read the full article on Iran human rights
Iran-Thailand cinematic venture ‘Miss Yaya’ is set to get theatrical release in Iranian cinemas soon.
Abdolreza Kahani made a screening deal for his new flick set in Thailand with a string of stars from Iran cinema such as Reza Attaran, Amin Hayai and Hamid Farokh Nejad.
The flick has some Thailand thespians on the cast list as well.
‘Miss Yaya’ which changed name from ‘We Like You Miss Yaya’ will be screened at Iran Cinematic group.
Please read the full article on ifilm
Iran has taken its cultural censorship efforts to new levels by pressuring a filmmaker to cancel the screening of one of his films in Canada.
The film, Delighted, by Abdolreza Kahani, was due to be screened last month at an independent theatre in Toronto.
But Kahani decided to cancel the screening after receiving a warning from Iran’s Culture Ministry.
A source close to Kahani’s production team who did not want to be named told RFE/RL that the ministry “advised” the filmmaker that if he would go ahead with the screening his other film, We Love You Mrs. Yaya, which was filmed in Thailand, would not be allowed to be shown inside Iran.
“When we announced that the film would be screened [in Canada] and tickets were sold, we received a message requesting the screening be cancelled; the message said that, if not, Kahani’s [other] film – [which was] was made in Thailand and was costly — will not receive a screening permit,” the source said.
The source added that authorities had also contacted producers, including those involved in the production of We, Love You Mrs. Yaya, to convince him to cancel the November 24 screening in Toronto.
Kahani has said in an interview with Radio Canada that Delighted is the story of three women who want to have a good time in Iran and are trying to meet wealthy men in order to achieve that goal.
A Culture Ministry official was quoted in 2016 as saying that Delighted was “immoral.”
Last year, a member of a committee that issues screening permits said that Delighted was problematic “from the beginning till the end.” He didn’t provide details but said the film was “not amendable.”
Film critic Khosro Dehghan says the Culture Ministry’s move to block the showing of Delighted in Canada was unprecedented.
“The Culture Ministry is not likely to confirm this issue as it would prove that the ministry won’t limit itself to the country’s borders — any film that is banned here will not be allowed to be screened anywhere else in the world,” Dehghan said in an interview with the daily Jamee Farda.
“The ministry has now extended its reach beyond Iran’s borders,” Dehghan added.
Banned At Home, Lauded Abroad
Authorities routinely ban award-winning Iranian movies from cinemas inside the country.
But until now there hadn’t been any known efforts to prevent the screening of controversial movies outside the country.
Dissident film director Jafar Panahi — who received a six-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban on directing movies in 2010 — screened his latest film Taxi, made clandestinely, at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival where it received the Golden Bear Prize.
Panahi told Jamee Farda that Iran should not interfere in the screening of films in other countries.
“Domestic rules should not be enforced when it comes to screening movies in other countries,” he said.
Please read the full article on RadioFreeEurope
Abdolreza Kahani was one of the special guests at the 2017 CineIran festival in Toronto in November, where a retrospective of his movies has been shown. The Iranian filmmaker managed also a workshop about his fascinating manner of filmmaking.
Please read the full article on cineiran.ca
Abdolreza Kahani has finished filming his new movie ‘We Like You Mrs. Yaya’ in Thailand.
A joint production of Iran and Thailand, the movie has been fully shot in the South Asian state with a mixed cast and crew from the two countries, Cinetmag.com reported.
This is not the first time Kahani has directed a film abroad. In 2014, he made ‘We’ve Got Time’ in France. However, the French-set movie as well as Kahani’s last film ‘Delighted’ (2016) have not yet been screened in Iran and still wait for permits to be issued by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The story has not been revealed yet but the few screenshots suggest that it follows the same path Kahani has taken in his recent films, dealing with social issues in a humorous way.
Well-known Iranian actors Reza Attaran, Hamid Farrokhnejad, and Amin Hayai and the Thai actress Nitaya Chaisri play the lead roles.
Please read the full article on financialtribune.com
International Film Festival of Kashmir (IFFK) 2015 Wednesday concluded with Award Ceremony in which Iranian and Spanish movies bagged maximum awards in different categories.
‘Absolute Rest’ directed by Iranian filmmaker Abdolreza Kahani won Best Feature Film award while another Iranian film ‘Waskat’ received Critic Award in International Category.
Please read the full article on knskashmir.com
The International Film Festival of Kashmir – 2015, organized by the Experimental Moving Images and Theater Association, started at the Tagore Hall here today with feature films and long documentaries.
On Day one, the festival showcased films based on social drama, romantic tragedies, and ethnic identity, highlight diverse world issues, culture, and politics.
A total of six films were screened today, which included three feature films made in Iran, Assam, and Gilgit-Baltistan respectively, and two documentaries.
The award-winning film ‘Absolute Rest’, directed by Iranian filmmaker Abdolreza Kahani was appreciated by all. “This is a matter of satisfaction for us as the selection of films on the first day was received well by the audience especially youth,” said Ali Emran, the festival curator.
“The Iranian movie ‘Absolute Rest’, focusing on the problems of women was applauded by the audience,” he said.
The film recounts the story of a woman who leaves her hometown with her child after getting a divorce, but her ex-husband does everything he can to force her to go back. This was the Asian Premier of the film, Emran said.
Please read the full article on tribuneindia.com
Kahani is the jury member of the international competition 2015.
Elyor Ishmukhamedov , Uzbekistan. Chairman of the jury.
Vladas Bagdonas , Lithuania. Theater and film actor, professor, dean of the acting department of the Lithuanian Conservatory.
Junsuke Kinoshita , Japan, film actor, director, writer, television presenter.
Tatyana Kolganova , Russia, theater, and film actress.
Abdolreza Kahani, Iran, film director, screenwriter.
Please read the full article on east-west-festival
Despite having one of the most diverse bodies of work in the past decade of Iranian cinema, Abdolreza Kahani is also one of the most suppressed filmmakers in Iran. His films have mostly been confiscated or banned from public screenings and are not allowed to be shown in many international festivals since all of his work encroaches on the limits of the Islamic Republic.
The following is a telephone interview with Kahani following the Fajr Film Festival’s decision to remove Absolute Rest from the list of official selections. At this writing, he is awaiting approval for a possible commercial release. We first discussed the nature of independent filmmaking in Iran before looking at the specific characteristics of Kahani’s work.
You have introduced yourself on various occasions as an independent filmmaker. What does it mean to be an independent filmmaker in Iran? Is it merely a matter of financial freedom?
More than having financial independence, having disinterested opinions with regard to any norm or party also makes an independent filmmaker. It means freedom of thought so that you can build what you like. It means investing in a movie from your own thoughts rather than waiting for others to invest and tell you what to think and make. When I say I am an independent filmmaker, I mean that I can put my own thoughts into a movie without the obligations that come with sponsorships.
What are the most important concerns of an independent Iranian filmmaker?
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“We’ve Got Time”, a French film of Abdolreza Kahani, will be showed in the independent forum competition by the Karlovy Vary film festival. This movie has been shot in France and the story is about an Iranian student whose name is Emad and his relationship with a French girl, Caroline. After the success of Kahani in the last Karlovy Vary film festival with the film of “Twenty” (Bist), the script of “We’ve Got Time” has written by this festival’s support and this movie will be showed for two times in the festival.
There are a number of leading movies in the festival this year such as “Boyhood” from Richard Linklater, “Timbuktu” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, “Stray Dogs” directed by Tsai Ming Liang, “Still the Water” directed by Naomi Kawase, “Mommy” directed by Xavier Dolan, “Misunderstood” directed by Asia Argento and “Leviathan” directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, which have been screened infamous festivals in this year, are present in the Horizons section of the festival’s program.
This is one of the high-rank film festivals around the world and it has four main competition sections such as official selection competition, east of the west competition, forum of independents competition and documentary competition and also the festival provides four subsidiary sections such as horizons, out of competition, another view and special events.
Please read the full article on kviff.com
