Germany’s Berlinale movie competition on Saturday expressed its shock on the arrest in Iran of the director Mohammad Rasoulof, who received the competition’s high prize in 2020.
Rasoulof was arrested on Friday, alongside together with his colleague Mostafa Al-Ahmad, following a social media publish. They have been charged with incitement of the folks.
“It’s surprising that artists are imprisoned for his or her peaceable opposition to violence,” mentioned Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, who handle the Berlinale.
“We demand that the Iranian authorities instantly launch the 2 administrators,” they mentioned.
Regime-critical director
Rasoulof received the Berlinale’s Golden Bear award for greatest movie in 2020 for his manufacturing “There’s No Evil.”His movie offers with social points in Iran and was thought of a criticism of the theocratic regime.
The director splits his time between Tehran and the German metropolis of Hamburg. Regardless of being banned from working within the trade by the Iranian authorities, he has continued to make movies.
His passport was confiscated in 2017, after his movie “A Man of Integrity” made its premiere on the Cannes movie competition in France. This meant that he was unable to depart Iran and journey to Berlin to just accept his Golden Bear in 2020.
Protests over lethal constructing collapse
The social media publish that received the 2 artists into bother concerned a joint letter calling on safety forces to “lay down their arms” in response to the mass protests within the southwestern metropolis of Abadan following the collapse of a constructing on Could 23 that killed 43 folks.
The protesters have known as for these answerable for the collapse to be prosecuted. Police have clamped down on the dissent with tear gasoline, warning pictures and arrests.
Public anger has additionally been stoked by rising costs, with some folks blaming the failure of the regime to make a breakthrough on ending US sanctions by rejoining the 2015 nuclear settlement.
“Within the midst of the heartbreaking incident in Abadan’s Metropol, [the filmmakers] have been concerned in inciting unrest and disrupting the psychological safety of society,” Iranian state-run information company IRNA mentioned.
A distinguished authorities critic and former minister, Mostafa Tajzadeh, was additionally arrested on Friday for comparable fees.
ab/jcg (dpa, KNA, AFP, Reuters)