Tehran: The Iranian authorities imposed a travel ban on the well-known filmmaker Masoud Kimiai, after he expressed his support for the protests that have been sweeping the Islamic Republic for months.
The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran announced that Masoud Kimiai was planning to leave Iran on Sunday evening to attend the Rotterdam film festival in the Netherlands, but the security officials prevented him from leaving Iran.
The filmmaker was due to travel to the Netherlands to screen his latest film, “Killing a Traitor”, a historical melodrama set in Iran in the 1950s.
Since beginning of nationwide protests in Iran from September 2022, the government of Islamic Republic has banned many actors and people involved in Iranian cinema from leaving the country.
On October 14, Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.
On November 11, Bahram Radan, a well-known actor of Iranian cinema, published a video on his Instagram page and announced that he was banned from leaving.
Since September 16, the Islamic Republic has witnessed protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, three days after she was arrested by the morality police for not adhering to strict dress codes.
Dozens, including members of the security forces, died on the sidelines of the protests, of which women are an essential part. The authorities announced the arrest of hundreds of protesters for their involvement in protests.
