Director Mohammad Rasoulof being held in Iran
Mohammad Rasoulof, whose film Manuscripts Don’t Burn will be shown at the Stockholm International Film Festival, has had his passport confiscated and he is now being prohibited from leaving Iran.
The Stockholm International Film Festival has been reached by the news that the director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose recent film will be shown at this year’s festival, is being prohibited from leaving Iran and return to Europe as planned. The director is invited to the festival to present his film Manuscripts Don‘t Burn.
Rasoulof, lives and works in Hamburg and Teheran, visited Iran on September 19 and then had his passport confiscated by the authorities.
– It is unacceptable of the Iranian authorities to prohibit him from leaving the country and that he is being prevented from acting as a filmmaker. It is a violation of freedom of speach and basic human rights, says Director of Stockholm International Film Festival, Git Scheynius.
Rasoulof is one of Iran’s most important directors and his latest film Manuscripts Don’t Burn was shown at the Cannes International Film Festival this year and has been awarded with the international Fipresci award. The film shows how the Iranian government is using censorship against dissidents.
This year’s spotlight is ”freedom” and presents an opportunity to put the spotlight on the fact that many filmmakers, artists and journalists still during the 2000s are not able to perform their work without the influence of censorship. Mohammad Rasoulof's Manuscripts Don’t Burn is one of the films shown in the spotlight section. The Stockholm International Film Festival has earlier also announced that the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will be a member of the festival jury.
Press Contact:
Johnny Nylund, +46 72 914 6005 or Fanny Westin, +46 73 774 9415
E-mail: press@stockholmfilmfestival.se
The 24th Stockholm International Film Festival November 6-17 2013.
The Stockholm International Film Festival started in 1990 and is today one of the leading competitive film festivals in Europe. The festival takes place every year in November with more than 180 films from more than 50 countries. More than a festival: we organize exclusive screenings and the popular Summer Cinema – an outdor mini-festival. Every year in spring the Stockholm International Film Festival Junior brings the latest films to youngsters between 6 and 16 years of age.
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