Latest news with #Sanaeeha
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pedro Almodóvar, Ali Abbasi and More Film Figures Fight Prosecution of Iranian Directors
The international film community is in uproar over the summoning of Iranian filmmakers Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha to court in their native country amid the production and distribution of their 2024 Berlin Film Festival feature My Favourite Cake. The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) has reiterated its unequivocal support for Moghadam and Sanaeeha, currently awaiting the start of their trial with Iran's Revolutionary Court on Mar. 1. More from The Hollywood Reporter MIP London Panel Takes Optimistic Stance on AI, Citing 'Shogun' Success and 'Brutalist' Concerns Drake Cancels Remaining Australia, New Zealand Tour Dates Anti-Elon Musk Poster "Don't Buy a Swasticar" in London Goes Viral The charges leveled against them concern the production and distribution of their My Favourite Cake, a movie about a woman in Tehran who rediscovers her desires in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted. Authorities first raided the offices of the film's editor in 2023, the ICFR said, with Moghadam and Sanaeeha 'under continuous scrutiny of the Iranian regime.' The Iranian government's persecution efforts led to a travel ban for the directors, which meant they could not attend their film's world premiere at the 2024 Berlinale in person, they told THR at the time. The ICFR has now launched a petition gathering momentum among the international film community. It currently at 2,200+ signatures and has been signed so far by industry-famous creatives Pedro Almodóvar, Juliette Binoche, Céline Sciamma, Joachim Trier, Hiam Abbass, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Ali Abbasi and Arthur Harari, as well as such institutions as Berlinale, Venice Film Festival, Quinzaine des Cinéastes, the European Film Academy and Sydney Film Fest. At the 2024 Berlinale, a statement from Moghadam and Sanaeeha read: 'We have come to believe that it is no longer possible to tell the story of an Iranian woman while obeying strict laws such as the mandatory hijab. Women for whom the red lines prevent the depiction of their true lives, as full human beings. This time, we decided to cross all of the restrictive red lines, and accept the consequences of our choice to paint a real picture of Iranian women – images that have been banned in Iranian cinema ever since the Islamic Revolution.' After a long string of interrogations at the Evin Security Prosecutor's Office, the duo are now expected in court on Saturday on allegations of 'propaganda against the regime,' 'production, distribution and duplication of a film with obscene content,' 'offending public decency and morality' and 'screening the film without obtaining a screening/distribution license.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time Dinosaurs, Zombies and More 'Wicked': The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025 From 'A Complete Unknown' to 'Selena' to 'Ray': 33 Notable Music Biopics
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iranian ‘My Favourite Cake' Filmmakers Sound Alarm Over Court Summons & Anonymous Death Threats
Iranian directors Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghadam have appealed for support after they received a court summons and anonymous death threats related to their film My Favourite Cake which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024. A heartwarming tale of love and loss and coming to terms with old age, My Favourite Cake stars Lily Farhadpour as a 70-year-old widow who reconnects with life's small pleasures in the face of solitude, following her husband's death. More from Deadline Rotterdam Fest Director Expresses Solidarity For 'The Seed Of The Sacred Fig' Actress Soheila Golestani Following Iran Travel Ban 'The Seed Of The Sacred Fig' Actress Soheila Golestani Barred From Leaving Iran To Serve On Rotterdam Jury Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala Freed From Iranian Prison In a message posted on social media, Sanaeeha said that after several interrogation sessions related to the film at the security prosecutor's office for Iran's notorious Evin jail, he and Moghadam had been summoned for a hearing at a revolutionary court on March 1. The charges against them are: propaganda against the regime; production, distribution, and duplication of a film with obscene content; offending public decency and morality and screening the film without obtaining a screening and distribution license. The couple have also told friends that they have been receiving death threats from anonymous callers. My Favourite Cake has incurred the wrath of Iran's authoritarian Islamic Republic regime due to the fact that Farhadpour is shown without a headscarf, while her character is also seen seeking companionship with an equally lonely widower and drinking wine with him. The drama is among a growing number of underground features coming out of Iran in the wake of the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, in which filmmakers challenge the Islamic Republic's sexist rules around what women should wear and how they should act. These films are seen as a sign that regardless of the government's harsh crackdown and attempts to suppress the protests, something has changed in Iranian society for good in the wake of the Woman Life Freedom movement. The situation still remains extremely dangerous for filmmakers who stand-up to the regime with director Navid Mihandoust, for example, currently serving a three-and-a-half sentence on trumped up charges, related to his refusal to cooperate in a plot targeting U.S.-based Iranian activist journalist Masih Alinejad. Husband and wife team Sanaeeha and Moghadam were banned from travelling to Berlin for the premiere of My Favourite Cake, while Farhadpour and co-star Esmaeel Mehrabi were allowed to make the trip and held up photos of their absent directors at the press conference. Moghadam, who also holds Swedish nationality, and Sanaeeha were then stopped from travelling to Sweden last September, with security agencies confiscating their passports at Tehran airport. Farhadpour, who has also received a summons, has mounted a petition and campaign in support of the directors. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Tonys, Guilds & More How To Watch Sunday's 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' Online & On TV
Express Tribune
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Iranian romantic film sparks crackdown
PARIS: A romantic drama about an elderly couple who share a night together to escape their loneliness has landed its Iranian directors with legal charges and pressure to stop its release internationally. The feel-good film called My Favourite Cake has been lauded on the festival circuit and appeared in cinemas in more than a dozen countries at the end of 2024. With favourable reviews mounting and more international releases expected in coming weeks, Tehran-based directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha are facing rising intimidation from Iranian authorities. "They want us to stop the release of the film in different countries," Sanaeeha told AFP by videocall from the Iranian capital. "When a film goes to a festival or starts a new release in a new country, they call us ... and then push us to stop the film, in France, in Italy, in Germany and everywhere," he added. After forces from the Revolutionary Guards raided their office in 2023, the pair were charged with "propaganda against the regime", "spreading the libertinism and prostitution" and breaking Islamic law with "vulgarity". Once a month or more since then, the directors of the 2020 film Ballad of a White Cow have had to report to the police for questioning and have had their passports confiscated. Other acclaimed Iranian directors from Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran last year, have faced similar pressure. "Now we are waiting for the final decision of the court," Sanaeeha explained. 'Story of reality' Subtle and moving, My Favourite Cake defies Iran's strict censorship rules with its intimate portrayal of everyday life - something the director couple knew was a risk. "From the beginning, we knew that it was going to have consequences for us," Sanaeeha continued. "Not only me and Maryam ... The actors are now on trial, the same as us, with less charges, but they are in the same case." The film touches on many sensitive issues for Iran's Islamic regime, portraying a couple that remembers life before the social restrictions brought in following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It is also about a relationship between two unmarried adults - a widow and a widower - while the female lead, Lili Farhadpour, does not wear a veil. "We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home," Moghadam, who is also an actor, told AFP. "Being a normal person, having desires, touching each other, all these things have been forbidden. But to tell these realities was very important for us," she added. "In Iranian films, for 45 years, you would see an Iranian woman waking up in bed with a hijab. It's absurd because it's not happening in reality in Iranian houses!" Sanaeeha added. 'Shocked' Filming started two weeks before the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' protest movement in Iran in 2022 sparked by the arrest of a 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini for a dress code violation who later died in police custody. The protests were suppressed by a deadly crackdown that left hundreds dead, according to human rights groups. "We were shocked. We stopped the shooting (of the film)," Sanaeeha explained. "Then after two days, we all came together... and we talked for a couple of hours and we reminded ourselves that the film that we were making was the same topics of the movement." The film comes out in France on Wednesday and is set to release in Brazil, Greece, Norway and Belgium this year, while negotiations are underway for theatrical releases in seven other countries, including the United States. For the moment, Iranians can only watch it through illicit downloads or pirated versions shared on encrypted messaging services such as Telegram. "We believe that we have to be here. We have to stand and we have to fight," Moghadam said of the risks the couple are taking. "We don't know what will happen in the future," she added. afp
Al-Ahram Weekly
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Romantic drama triggers government crackdown on Iranian filmmakers - Screens - Arts & Culture
A romantic drama about an elderly couple who share a night together to escape their loneliness has landed its Iranian directors with legal charges and pressure to stop its release internationally. The feel-good movie called "My Favourite Cake" has been lauded on the festival circuit and appeared in cinemas in more than a dozen countries at the end of 2024. With favourable reviews mounting and more international releases expected in coming weeks, Tehran-based directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha are facing rising intimidation from Iranian authorities. "They want us to stop the release of the film in different countries," Sanaeeha told AFP by videocall from the Iranian capital. "When a film goes to festival or starts a new release in a new country, they call us ... and then push us to stop the film, in France, in Italy, in Germany and everywhere," he added. After forces from the Revolutionary Guards raided their office in 2023, the pair were charged with "propaganda against the regime", "spreading the libertinism and prostitution" and breaking Islamic law with "vulgarity". Once a month or more since then, the directors of the 2020 film "Ballad of a White Cow" have had to report to police for questioning and have had their passports confiscated. Other acclaimed Iranian directors from Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran last year, have faced similar pressure. "Now we are waiting for the final decision of the court," Sanaeeha explained. - 'Story of reality' - Subtle and moving, "My Favourite Cake" defies Iran's strict censorship rules with its intimate portrayal of everyday life -- something the director couple knew was a risk. "From the beginning, we knew that it was going to have consequences for us," Sanaeeha continued. "Not only me and Maryam ... The actors are now on trial, the same as us, with less charges, but they are in the same case." The film touches on many sensitive issues for Iran's Islamic regime, portraying a couple that remembers life before the social restrictions brought in following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It also about a relationship between two unmarried adults -- a widow and a widower -- while the female lead, Lili Farhadpour, does not wear a veil. "We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home," Moghadam, who is also an actress, told AFP. "Being a normal person, having desires, touching each other, all these things have been forbidden. But to tell these realities was very important for us," she added. "In Iranian films, for 45 years, you would see an Iranian woman waking up in bed with a hijab. It's absurd because it's not happening in reality in Iranian houses!" Sanaeeha added. - 'Shocked' - Filming started two weeks before the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement in Iran in 2022 sparked by the arrest of a 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini for a dress code violation who later died in police custody. The protests were suppressed by a deadly crackdown that left hundreds dead, according to human rights groups. "We were shocked. We stopped the shooting (of the film)," Sanaeeha explained. "Then after two days, we all came together... and we talked for a couple of hours and we reminded ourselves that the film that we were making was the same topics of the movement." The film comes out in France on Wednesday and is set to release in Brazil, Greece, Norway and Belgium this year, while negotiations are underway for theatrical releases in seven other countries, including the United States. For the moment, Iranians can only watch it through illicit downloads or pirated versions shared on encrypted messaging services such as Telegram. "We believe that we have to be here. We have to stand and we have to fight," Moghadam said of the risks the couple are taking. "We don't know what will happen in the future," she added. Short link:
Gulf News
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf News
Romantic drama triggers government crackdown on Iranian filmmakers
PARIS: A romantic drama about an elderly couple who share a night together to escape their loneliness has landed its Iranian directors with legal charges and pressure to stop its release internationally. The feel-good movie called 'My Favourite Cake' has been lauded on the festival circuit and appeared in cinemas in more than a dozen countries at the end of 2024. With favourable reviews mounting and more international releases expected in coming weeks, Tehran-based directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha are facing rising intimidation from Iranian authorities. 'They want us to stop the release of the film in different countries,' Sanaeeha told AFP by videocall from the Iranian capital. 'When a film goes to festival or starts a new release in a new country, they call us ... and then push us to stop the film, in France, in Italy, in Germany and everywhere,' he added. After forces from the Revolutionary Guards raided their office in 2023, the pair were charged with 'propaganda against the regime', 'spreading the libertinism and prostitution' and breaking Islamic law with 'vulgarity'. Once a month or more since then, the directors of the 2020 film 'Ballad of a White Cow' have had to report to police for questioning and have had their passports confiscated. Other acclaimed Iranian directors from Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran last year, have faced similar pressure. 'Now we are waiting for the final decision of the court,' Sanaeeha explained. Subtle and moving, 'My Favourite Cake' defies Iran's strict censorship rules with its intimate portrayal of everyday life - something the director couple knew was a risk. 'From the beginning, we knew that it was going to have consequences for us,' Sanaeeha continued. 'Not only me and Maryam ... The actors are now on trial, the same as us, with less charges, but they are in the same case.' The film touches on many sensitive issues for Iran's Islamic regime, portraying a couple that remembers life before the social restrictions brought in following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It also about a relationship between two unmarried adults - a widow and a widower - while the female lead, Lili Farhadpour, does not wear a veil. 'We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home,' Moghadam, who is also an actress, told AFP. 'Being a normal person, having desires, touching each other, all these things have been forbidden. But to tell these realities was very important for us,' she added. 'In Iranian films, for 45 years, you would see an Iranian woman waking up in bed with a hijab. It's absurd because it's not happening in reality in Iranian houses!' Sanaeeha added. Filming started two weeks before the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' protest movement in Iran in 2022 sparked by the arrest of a 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini for a dress code violation who later died in police custody. The protests were suppressed by a deadly crackdown that left hundreds dead, according to human rights groups. 'We were shocked. We stopped the shooting (of the film),' Sanaeeha explained. 'Then after two days, we all came together... and we talked for a couple of hours and we reminded ourselves that the film that we were making was the same topics of the movement.' The film comes out in France on Wednesday and is set to release in Brazil, Greece, Norway and Belgium this year, while negotiations are underway for theatrical releases in seven other countries, including the United States. For the moment, Iranians can only watch it through illicit downloads or pirated versions shared on encrypted messaging services such as Telegram. 'We believe that we have to be here. We have to stand and we have to fight,' Moghadam said of the risks the couple are taking. 'We don't know what will happen in the future,' she added. Sign up for the Daily Briefing Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
