Iranian Films at Israeli Festival; Legal Action Against French Distributor
WANA (Oct 25) – Two Iranian films, Women and Child, directed by Saeed Roustaee, and Mortician, directed by Abdolreza Kahani, were surprisingly listed among the participants at the 41st Haifa Film Festival in Israel. According to the festival’s official website, the films were presented as entries from Iran and France.
Seyed Jamal Sadatian, the producer of Women and Child, said he was unaware of the issue, stating: “This action was clearly carried out by the French international distribution office of the film.”
He added, “I have never been, and will never be, willing to participate in Israeli festivals because of my beliefs. When signing the contract with this international distribution office, we clearly stated that the film must not participate in any Israeli festival. I suspect that this happened because the festival offered an attractive financial amount, and the distribution office decided to act against the contract. In fact, they acted mischievously to bring the film to their festival. They do not share the sensitivity we have toward Israel, and that’s why they participate in festivals there.”
The Film, Women and Child. Social media/ WANA News Agency
The producer said, “Israeli festivals neither have artistic value nor significant awards. Attending these festivals brings nothing but condemnation for artists around the world.”
This producer, while saying “Israeli festivals neither have artistic value nor significant awards. Attending these festivals brings nothing but condemnation for artists around the world,” stated that the appearance of the film’s name on the festival’s website was completely unexpected for him and the production team, and they are currently investigating the reason behind it.
He concluded: “I will definitely take legal action and deal with this distribution office. This incident should not have happened under any circumstances. It is certainly against our national laws, and at a time when world cinema is boycotting the Zionist regime and trying to expose its disgraceful image through artistic campaigns, the participation of Iranian films in this festival—which itself has recently been targeted by Israel—will raise serious questions from artists around the world.”
In the past two years, the Israeli regime has carried out a large-scale genocide in Gaza, sparking widespread global opposition. Therefore, the participation of any Iranian film in an Israeli festival is deemed completely unacceptable, as some analysts believe.
The Film, Mortician. Social media/ WANA News Agency
