TEHRAN -- Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is currently considering the possibility of screening “Argo”, the Hollywood thriller about the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to bring six fugitive U.S. diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.
“The Namayesh Channel has been assigned to mull over a screening of ‘Argo’,” IRIB Deputy Director Ali Darabi told the Persian service of FNA on Friday.
If the channel approves the plan to show the film, it would be screened during the Ten-Day Dawn celebration, he added.
Iran holds the celebration annually to commemorate the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. This year’s celebration will be held from January 31 to February 10.
“The screening of the film would be accompanied with a review session, which would be attended by several critics and film experts,” Darabi stated.
Directed by Ben Affleck, “Argo” is a dramatization of the “Canadian Caper” based on an article published in 2007, in which Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
Starring Affleck as Mendez with Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman, the film was released in North America on October 12, 2012.
The film was highly acclaimed at the 70th Golden Globe Awards, which were presented on January 13. It won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture and Best Director.
The film also received seven nominations at the 85th Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Iran officially viewed “Argo” as an “anti-Iranian” film.
In early January, the Art Bureau, which is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, announced that it plans to produce a movie in response to “Argo”.
Entitled “The General Staff”, the film is about the 20 American hostages who were delivered to the United States by the revolutionaries and will be directed by Ataollah Salmanian.
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