(Rome) The Venice Film Festival, dean of film festivals, called on Tuesday for “the immediate release” of Iranian filmmaker and opponent Jafar Panahi, arrested Monday in Tehran.
Posted at 6:33 a.m.
In a press release, the Venice Biennale, which oversees the Mostra, expresses its “deep dismay” after the arrest of the director “for having demonstrated with other colleagues against the arrest of two other filmmakers, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad” .
“The Venice Biennale unites its voice with the many others who have spoken out around the world to condemn the ongoing repressive actions, and demand the immediate release of the arrested directors”.
This call comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahiana was received in Rome on Monday by his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio.
In a statement released Monday evening, the Italian Foreign Ministry made no mention of these arrests, which created an uproar in the world of cinema.
62-year-old Mr. Panahi is one of Iran’s most awarded filmmakers. In addition to a Golden Lion in 2000 in Venice for The circlehe notably obtained the Screenplay Prize at Cannes in 2018 with Three Facesthree years after the Golden Bear in Berlin for Taxi Tehran.
A dissident artist, Mr. Panahi was arrested in 2010 and then sentenced to six years in prison and a 20-year ban on directing or writing films, traveling or speaking in the media. However, he continued to work and live in Iran.
He had been convicted of “propaganda against the regime”, after having supported the 2009 protest movement against the re-election of the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of the Islamic Republic.