CNN —Famed Iranian director Saeed Roustaee has been sentenced to six months in prison, according to local reports, after presenting his most-recent film at the Cannes International Film Festival last year.
Roustaee screened the film “Leila’s Brothers,” a movie about a family in Tehran trying to make ends meet, in competition for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at Cannes.
Roustaee and “Leila’s Brother” producer Javad Noruzbegi were sentenced to six months for airing the film and “contributing to the opposition’s propaganda against the Islamic regime,” according to Iranian media.
“His voice needs to be heard.”“Leila’s Brothers” was previously banned in Iran, as officials ruled the film “broke the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorisation,” the AFP reported.
Though it did not win the Palme d’Or, the film won two other prizes at Cannes, and was nominated for Best International Film at the Munich International Film Festival.
Persons:
CNN —, Saeed Roustaee, Roustaee, ”, Palme, Ruben Ostlund’s, Javad Noruzbegi, Martin Scorsese, Francesca Scorsese, Scorsese, “, Jafar Panahi, Tara Sepehri, Panahi
Organizations:
CNN, Cannes, AFP, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Munich, Human Rights Watch
Locations:
Tehran, American, Iran
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