TEHRAN -- A member of Iran’s High Council for Cinema said on Wednesday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has previously approved the U.S.-based Iranian filmmaker Asadollah Niknejad’s the plan to make “Laleh”, a controversial movie project about the first Iranian female race car driver, Laleh Seddiq.
Niknejad gained Ahamadinejad’s approval during a meeting with U.S.-based Iranians in New York, Jamal Shurjeh told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency.
He said that Niknejad played the role of an artistic and stage manager for the president’s programs during his sojourn in the United States.
“And finally, he turned into a member of Ahamadinejad’s delegation,” Shurjeh stated.
Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC) announced on Monday that U.S. and Canadian companies would provide part of the budget for the production of “Laleh”.
DEFC Shafi Aqamohammadian said that the film will cost about 70 billion rials (over $3.5 million), 25 billion rials ($1.3 million) of which will be provided by the DEFC.
The companies will provide the funding for the project due to their close relationships with Niknejad, he stated.
Iran Cinema Organization Director Javad Shamaqdari defended the movie project against severe criticism by filmmakers and others.
He said that they will be making the film as a response to the propaganda spread by Western media about restrictions on the social activities of females in Iran.
MMS/YAW
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