Iranian director Mani Haghighi, who was due to attend the London Film Festival these days, claims to have been banned by Iranian authorities because of his support for the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, which have engulfed Iran since a month and which he called “a great moment in history”.
“Iranian authorities prevented me from boarding my plane to London on Friday“said Mani Haghighi in a video message to festival attendees and posted on Twitter by the British Film Institute (BFI) on Friday.”They gave me no satisfactory explanation for this really rude attitude.“, he added.
Filmmaker Mani Haghighi was due to join us at the BFI London Film Festival with his film Subtraction. Authorities in Iran confiscated his passport and he could not leave.#LFF supports Haghighi and all filmmakers in their freedom to present their films around the world. pic.twitter.com/vFhja8EnqS
— BFI (@BFI) October 14, 2022
Outrage over the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, has sparked the biggest wave of protests in Iran since 2019 over rising fuel prices. Mahsa Amini died three days after she was arrested by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women, including the wearing of the veil. Protests continue a month later, despite hundreds of arrests and fierce repression by Iranian security forces, which have already claimed more than 185 lives, according to human rights organizations.
According to the British Film Institute, Mani Haghighi was to attend the festival for the presentation of his latest film, Subtraction (Subtraction), but the Iranian authorities have “confiscated his passport and he could not leave“. In his message, the 53-year-old director, writer and actor assures that the authorities did so because of his support for the protesters.
“Two weeks ago I recorded a video message on Instagram in which I criticized the laws requiring the veil to be worn and the repression exerted on the youth who demonstrate against this and against so many other subjects of injustice“, he explained. “The authorities may have thought that by keeping me here they could monitor me more closely, perhaps to threaten me and silence me.“.
“The mere fact that I’m talking to you now through this video is kind of a failure for this plan“, adds the director, who says he does not regret being forced to stay in Iran as a “prisoner“in his own country.”I cannot express in words the joy and honor of being able to witness this great moment in history in person and I would rather be here now than anywhere else.“, he added. “If this is punishment for what I’ve done, then please go ahead“.