Australian festivals unite for human rights campaign
The Sydney, Adelaide & Melbourne film festivals will unite to protest the imprisonment of Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, with a fundraising screening of his 2006 film Offside.
“This is the first time the major international film festivals in Australia have united to give voice to a cause; the imprisonment of Panahi and Rasoulof is not only a deep injustice, it is an affront to all those who believe in unfettered expression and the principle of artistic freedom,” said Sydney Film Fest director Clare Stewart.
Last month Panahi and Rasoulof were sentenced to six-years in jail for making films against the Iranian regime. They were both banned for 20years from writing and making films, giving interviews to the press, leaving Iran or communicating with foreign cultural organisations.
Film festivals around the world are are trying to pressure for the sentences to be lifted. Locally, the Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne film festivals are working with Madman Entertainment to present fundraising screenings – all proceeds will go towards the campaign.
The screenings will take place on:
This is great but they won’t get much support from the media and community. The fact is that to be critical of anything Islamic and/or Iran is a no-go zone these days. No many how many people are hung, killed or stoned to death, the media will not even report it. BUT if this was the US or Israel incarcerating someone then there will be blood on the streets in protests.