Iran cracks down on film industry

Officials issued a notice shutting down Tehran's House of Cinema, an institute that promotes Iranian-made films.

The ministry of culture and Islamic guidance said that its bodies would assume oversight of the industry after the centre is wound up.

"The House of Cinema has received a notice from the Ministry of Culture that the organisation is illegal and must be dissolved as an entity," said Farhad Toohid, the chief executive cfficer.

Pro-regime newspapers and television stations have directed a barrage of criticism at the film industry in recent weeks, highlighting claims that the House of Cinema was a haven of low moral standards.

Actors and directors protests at the growing government encroachment on Facebook and across the internet.

Marzieh Vafamehr, an actress in the hit film My Tehran for Sale, has spearheaded warnings that the closure would undermine the industry's independence.

The film industry has been a thorn in the side of the Islamic regime in the three decades since the fall of the monarchy.

Iranian film makers have managed to expose the strains of life in a theocratic state to great critical acclaim.

The industry is eagerly anticipating success in the foreign film category at the Oscars for March for Separation, a film about a couple divided by the wife's desire to flee the country.

The Ministry of Culture was spurred into action by a conservative backlash against an invitation to Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actress, to attend the 30th anniversary of its national film festival in a few weeks.

"The Iranian cinema under [House of Cinema] guidance is now worse than Hollywood when it comes to vice issues," said Farajolah Salahshor, a prominent conservative director.

The invitation to Miss Jolie was, he said, "a fitting invitation to a whore actress from the House of Whores". Mansour Vaezi, a culture ministry official, said that the House of Cinema had "continued to ignore directives on the issues of our concern about the contents of the films made by its members".

However, Ahmad Masjed Jamei, who was culture minister under the former president Mohammad Khatami, condemned the decision.

He said: "We cannot bring the issue of cultural activities under the government's control as artistic productions do not follow cabinet directives.

"This is the House of Cinema, not a cabinet office to act as a subordinate of the ministers."

Source: Telegraph