Iran Slams the Door on Foreign Films
Iran’s newly installed president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a committee of hardline Islamic clerics have opted to ban all foreign films from the Middle Eastern country, in an effort to resist “cultural invasion” from the west. Contrary to his predecessor Mohammad Khatami, Ahmadinejad has no use for an open cultural policy and pinned films as a threat to Islamic ideal due to their references to alcohol and drugs (both banned in Islam; very strict countries do not sell, or allow imported alcohol within their borders), secularists (obviously a threat to a religious regime), liberals, anarchists and feminists.
With state censorship already a strong presence in Iran, the ban is unlikely to have much of an impact on the theaters, where foreign films are rarely featured. The squeeze will be felt on television, where such films used to be deemed appropriate for airing after the state censor went through it and deleted any scenes that were suggestive of non-Muslim, improper behaviour. Even these pared down versions will no longer be allowed to be shown under the new regulations.
I’m willing to bet the penalty for bootlegging in Iran is a little steeper than anything the MPAA could dole out, but bootleg copies of Hollywood films are sure to become a hot commodity.
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POSTED IN: Film Industry, Foreign
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