Latest news with #SaeedRoustayi
Express Tribune
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Iran's Cannes film follows rules
The women actors in the film did not wear hijabs for the Cannes premiere. Photo: AFP A state-approved Iranian film featuring women constantly in headscarves premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday, with director Saeed Roustayi defending his decision to bend to the diktats of national censors. The Cannes Festival has long offered a platform for independent Iranian filmmakers whose work is lauded on the French Riviera but usually banned at home. Roustayi has previously defied his country's authorities. His last film in Cannes – Leila's Brothers in 2022 – landed him a six-month suspended jail term and film ban. "It affected my whole life, my family, and those around me," the 35-year-old told AFP. Three years later, he is back again with Woman and Child, again chosen for the main competition – but this time with official approval. The script was approved by Iranian censors, and the actors follow Iranian law, with women wearing the government-mandated hijab at all times on screen – even during scenes at home, where headscarves are typically taken off. "I'd love to make films without the hijab. I truly want to do that because I know my films would be more real and natural," Roustayi told AFP. He added: "I didn't want a permit, but they force you to get one. If you want to film in big locations like hospitals or schools or use professional cinema equipment, they require a permit." The women actors in Roustayi's offering did not wear hijabs when the film's team walked the red carpet for the Cannes premiere, though the lead actor, Parinaz Izadyar, wore a discreet headpiece. Ahead of its screening in Cannes, his work was hailed in Iran's state media, with the IRNA agency calling it "a happy and important moment for Iranian cinema". Exiles Roustayi's films often focus on the plight of women and Woman and Child is no exception, following a widow who struggles to balance the demands of her children, love life and work as a nurse. The director said he wants to make socially conscious dramas, and was seeking to "save" Iranian cinema from the low-quality commercial features that most of his compatriots are forced to watch. But his desire to make a film that can be viewed in cinemas in his homeland, not just at international film festivals and cinemas abroad, has been condemned by some exiled Iranian film figures. The hijab has become a politically charged symbol since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom demonstrations that saw women openly defy the security forces and remove their mandatory headscarves. "The women on the screen (in hijabs) are following the most discriminatory law in Iran. People were killed to dismantle it," California-based exiled Iranian film critic Mahshid Zamani told AFP. She helps run the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, a collective of 300 exiled Iranian cinema figures which has condemned Roustayi's decision to seek permits and permission. "Roustayi is in the tradition of what the Iranian government has been doing for 40 years: they have been sending out films to the international stage and saying 'look everything is rosy, there is freedom of speech'," she added. "We're not saying the film is a propaganda film. The government is using films like his film as a propaganda tool." Contrast Roustayi's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his compatriot Jafar Panahi, whose latest production It Was Just An Accident features several women without headscarves and is also competing for the top prize in Cannes. Panahi is a symbol of defiance, someone who has continued to make films despite receiving a 20-year ban in 2010. He spent nearly seven months behind bars in 2022-2023 and smuggled a copy of a previous film to the Cannes Festival hidden in a cake. It Was Just An Accident was shot in secret and tackles political repression and torture head-on, with a story about four ordinary Iranians who believe they have found their jail interrogator. When asked on Wednesday how Iranian filmmakers should approach the censors, Panahi said: "Everyone finds their path, their way of doing things relative to their abilities and knowledge. I don't have any advice to give." He added that, "despite everything, I have always found a way". Another Cannes favourite from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, fled the country last year for fear of being jailed for a third time, after making a film about the 2022-2023 protest movement. He has defended Roustayi, telling Variety magazine that there's a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic Republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". They were convicted of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion". AFP
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Iran's Roustaee concerned about return home despite cautious Cannes film
FILE PHOTO: Director Saeed Roustayi attends a press conference for the film \"Woman and Child\" (Zan o bacheh) in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo CANNES, France - Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee said on Friday that he was careful in how he shot his Cannes Film Festival entry "Woman and Child", which never shows women without the mandatory hijab, but was still unsure how he would be received when he returned home. "Last time, they took my passport," said the 35-year-old about his last appearance at the festival in southern France, for competition title "Leila's Brothers" in 2022. "This time, I hope they don't. I just want to go home." Roustaee had also been handed a six-month suspended sentence over that film for showcasing it without Tehran's authorisation. The director said that facing a sentence places a heavy burden not only on the person, but all their friends and family. "Maybe you can handle it yourself, but when you see that your elderly parents can't, it hurts more," he told journalists. His new film, "Woman and Child," stars Parinaz Izadyar as single mother Mahnaz, whose decision to marry her boyfriend Hamid kicks off a series of events culminating in tragedy. Roustaee obtained a permit for the new film, because without it, there was no way he was going to be able to shoot, he said. "I don't know to what extent I'm self-censoring, but ultimately, I live in Iran," the director said. "I'm making films in Iran, and I very much want people to see my films on the big screen. So probably, I am observing certain boundaries so that my films can make it to the screen." "Woman and Child," which premiered on Thursday, is one of two Iranian films competing for the Palme d'Or top prize this year, the other being "It Was Just An Accident" by Jafar Panahi. Panahi, who does not apply for government approval, also plans to return to Iran to begin work on his new film even though he only recently was allowed to travel after 15 years. In total, 22 films are competing for the award this year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Japan Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Hijabs on screen, critics off screen for Iran film in Cannes
Iranian film director Saeed Roustayi said he had to follow censors' orders on the government-mandated hijab to get a permit By Adam Plowright A state-approved Iranian movie featuring women constantly in headscarves premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday, with director Saeed Roustayi defending his decision to bend to the diktats of national censors. The Cannes Festival has long offered a platform for independent Iranian filmmakers whose work is lauded on the French Riviera but usually banned at home. Roustayi has previously defied his country's authorities. His last film in Cannes -- "Leila's Brothers" in 2022 -- landed him a six-month suspended jail term and film ban. "It affected my whole life, my family, and those around me," the 35-year-old told AFP. Three years later, he is back again with "Woman and Child", again chosen for the main competition -- but this time with official approval. The script was approved by Iranian censors, and the actors follow Iranian law, with women wearing the government-mandated hijab at all times on screen -- even during scenes at home, where headscarves are typically taken off. "I'd love to make films without the hijab. I truly want to do that because I know my films would be more real and natural," Roustayi told AFP. He added: "I didn't want a permit, but they force you to get one. If you want to film in big locations like hospitals or schools or use professional cinema equipment, they require a permit." The women actors in Roustayi's movie did not wear hijabs when the film's team walked the red carpet for the Cannes premiere, though the lead actor, Parinaz Izadyar, wore a discreet headpiece. Ahead of its screening in Cannes, his work was hailed in Iran's state media, with the IRNA agency calling it "a happy and important moment for Iranian cinema". Roustayi's films often focus on the plight of women and "Woman and Child" is no exception, following a widow who struggles to balance the demands of her children, love life and work as a nurse. The director said he wants to make socially conscious dramas, and was seeking to "save" Iranian cinema from the low-quality commercial features that most of his compatriots are forced to watch. But his desire to make a film that can be viewed in cinemas in his homeland, not just at international film festivals and cinemas abroad, has been condemned by some exiled Iranian film figures. The hijab has become a politically charged symbol since the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" demonstrations that saw women openly defy the security forces and remove their mandatory headscarves. "The women on the screen (in hijabs) are following the most discriminatory law in Iran. People were killed to dismantle it," California-based exiled Iranian film critic Mahshid Zamani told AFP. She helps run the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, a collective of 300 exiled Iranian cinema figures which has condemned Roustayi's decision to seek permits and permission. "Roustayi is in the tradition of what the Iranian government has been doing for 40 years: they have been sending out films to the international stage and saying 'look everything is rosy, there is freedom of speech'," she added. "We're not saying the film is a propaganda film. The government is using films like his film as a propaganda tool." Roustayi's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his compatriot Jafar Panahi, whose latest production "It Was Just An Accident" features several women without headscarves and is also competing for the top prize in Cannes. Panahi is a symbol of defiance, someone who has continued to make films despite receiving a 20-year ban in 2010. He spent nearly seven months behind bars in 2022-2023 and smuggled a copy of a previous film to the Cannes Festival hidden in a cake. "It Was Just An Accident" was shot in secret and tackles political repression and torture head-on, with a story about four ordinary Iranians who believe they have found their jail interrogator. When asked on Wednesday how Iranian filmmakers should approach the censors, Panahi said: "Everyone finds their path, their way of doing things relative to their abilities and knowledge. I don't have any advice to give." He added that, "despite everything, I have always found a way". Another Cannes favorite from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, fled the country last year for fear of being jailed for a third time, after making a film about the 2022-2023 protest movement. He has defended Roustayi, telling Variety magazine that there's a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic Republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". Last month, Iranian directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha were given suspended sentences for their acclaimed romantic drama "My Favourite Cake", which competed at the 2024 Berlin film festival. They were convicted of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion". © 2025 AFP
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
What to watch on OTT this weekend: Leila's Brothers, Gangers and more
Leila's Brothers (MUBI) Directed by Saeed Roustayi, Leila's Brothers is a moving family drama set in Tehran. It is about Leila (Taraneh Alidoosti), who has spent her whole life taking care of her parents and her four brothers.
