TEHRAN -- Members of the Majlis Cultural Committee have threatened to impeach the minister of culture and Islamic guidance over the ministry’s plan for making “Laleh”, a film about the first Iranian female race car driver Laleh Seddiq.
If the Culture Ministry refuses to cancel its plan to make the film, members of the committee may vote to impeach the minister, Ali Motahhari told the Persian service of the Fars News Agency on Tuesday.
Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini and Iran Cinema Organization Director Javad Shamaqdari attended a meeting with the committee to give explanations for the film project last week.
Motahhari said that the explanations have not convinced the members.
“Laleh” is scheduled to be directed by U.S.-based Iranian filmmaker Asadollah Niknejad, whose background in providing services to some Hollywood productions has provoked objections to the film project in Iran.
“Hosseini and Shamaqdari said that the film will help the place of Iranian women to be raised in the world and also said that Niknejad’s background is not that bad,” Motahhari said.
“However, we rejected all their explanations,” he added.
“Investigation of the project has been completed in the committee and we insist on cancellation of the plan for making the film,” another member of the committee Ahmad Saleki Kashani told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.
“We will resist this and will unfold things occurring behind the scenes, if the Culture Ministry refuses to cancel the plan for making the film,” he threatened.
“Laleh” has been estimated to cost about 70 billion rials (over $3.5 million), which will be provided by the Culture Ministry and U.S. and Canadian companies.
The companies will join the project due to their close relationships with Niknejad.
MMS/YAW
END