TEHRAN, Oct. 30 (Mehr News Agency) - Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari announced here on Wednesday that the ministry is responsible for resolving issues involving cineastes that are related to their professions, but not legal cases or matters related to the police.

Managing Director of the Iranian House of Cinema Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpur, House of Cinema Spokesman Amin Tarokh, and filmmaker Reza Mirkarimi recently asked the Culture Ministry for a response to the issue of the recent prohibition of cineastes from exiting the country.

Over the past month, actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya and documentarian Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, and filmmaker Jafar Panahi were all prevented from traveling to the U.S. at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport.

Asgarpur said earlier that the ministry should intervene to resolve the issue or at least should state its perspective on the matter to clarify its actions.

Mirkarimi also asked the deputy culture minister to find ways to avoid prohibiting cineastes both from exiting the country as well as entering into it.

“The Culture ministry’s department for cinematic affairs should always support cineastes and this must not be a temporary reaction.

“Today, this issue of preventing Iranian cineastes has hurt the public, and cultural figures are impatiently waiting for an official response. If this sort of ambiguity continues, it might result in irreversible consequences,” he remarked.

Spokesman Tarokh also stated that over the past few days, there has been good news on removing the obstacle over the performances of actor Mohammadreza Golzar and actress Golshifteh Farahani.

“We’ve heard Shamaqdari met with Golzar on the issue and he also declared that there is no problem preventing Farahani from continuing her career in the country. All of this is good news.”

Golshifteh Farahani acted beside Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s spy thriller “Body of Lies”. Farahani has stated that she plans to stay in the United States to pursue her acting career.

... Payvand News - 10/30/09 ... --

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