Drop Charges Against Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha

ICFR Calls On Iranian Authorities to Drop Charges Against Several Persecuted Filmmakers

The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) is alarmed about the Iranian authorities’ increased efforts in the past weeks to detain, persecute, and otherwise limit the freedom of film professionals. Writer/Directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been banned from travelling and are facing a court trial in relation to their upcoming film; detained filmmaker Zahra Shafiee Dehaghani is expected to appear in court any day now; writer/director Navin Mihandoust is in the first year of a three-year prison sentence; and director Mohammad Rasoulof is still banned from travelling and under constant threat of further prosecution by the regime.

We support our industry colleagues in Iran and elsewhere, and repeat our demand for an end to an environment of fear, censorship and constant scrutiny in which filmmakers are forced to work and live. We urgently ask our friends, allies and colleagues across the international film community to amplify our call and raise their voices in support of these filmmakers — until they are allowed to travel, make their films and live their lives in safety and freedom.

The ICFR calls on the Iranian authorities to drop these travel bans and charges and we encourage all film and culture institutions around the world to do the same.
 
International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk
International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
European Film Academy