Feb — House of Cinema Protests Ruling Against Panahi

Iran’s House of Cinema files formal complaint against the 20 year ban on producing new films handed down to director Jafar Panahi.

A source for the Hollywood publication Variety states:

“Twenty years is a lifetime for a filmmaker. It’s like prison.

“The Iranian cinema guild wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice saying that to tell a filmmaker he can’t do his job is like killing him. We’re awaiting the results. Panahi has asked all his friends not to contact him or to talk about him to any festivals … because he doesn’t want to create any problems for anyone else.”