Iran directors ridicule suspended jail sentence of filmmakers

Iranian cinema directors have ridiculed a six-month suspended prison sentence handed down to Saeed Roustayi and his producer for showcasing their movie at last year’s Cannes Film Festival without authorization, saying it was designed to divert attention from the upcoming anniversary of the eruption of nationwide protests.
They also said international reaction to the sentence earlier this week was laughable.
The Iranian Cinema Directors Association said in an Instagram post that it was “the strangest judiciary sentence in the history of Iranian cinema.”
It said the movie, “Leila’s Brothers”, had been approved by the government and the Iranian government itself had participated at the Cannes festival for years.
The association said, “Such a strange sentence is a futile attempt to humiliate this young and intelligent filmmaker of Iranian cinema.”
Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi have enjoyed heavy government funding throughout their careers.