TEHRAN -- The director of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC) has announced that his agency is seeking support from organizations in neighboring countries for “Laleh”, a controversial movie project about the first Iranian female race car driver, Laleh Seddiq.
DEFC had previously said that U.S. and Canadian companies would provide a large part of budget for the production of the film, which has been criticized by the Iranian Majlis.
“Foreign companies have withdrawn from this project following the controversies over it and the international sanctions against Iran,” DEFC Director Shafi Aqamohammadian told the Persian service of MNA on Saturday.
The postproduction stage of the film is progressing slowly as a result, he added.
He said that the DEFC plans to convince companies from neighboring countries to cover part of the cost for project, which has been estimated at about 80 billion rials (over $2.8 million).
All members of the crew collectively pulled out of the project in October over “disagreement, lack of progress in the project and an uncertain future for the production of the film”.
The film project, which is also being supported by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the Iran Cinema Organization, provoked backbench opposition.
The Majlis Cultural Committee had raised objections to the film project over the allegedly “feministic tendencies in the film and its patriarchal image of Iranian society with ceaseless fighting between men and women.”
They also complained about the background of Asadollah Niknejad, a U.S.-based Iranian filmmaker who is to direct the project.
The committee threatened to impeach the culture minister over the plan for making the film. However, they compromised on making “Laleh” in early October after the supporters of the film agreed to make some slight modifications in the screenplay.
MMS/YAW
END