Iranian Filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh Banned From Leaving Country & Under Pressure From Authorities To Pull Locarno Competition Pic ‘Critical Zone’
deadline.comFilmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh is under pressure from Iranian authorities to pull his latest feature Critical Zone from Locarno’s Main Competition after he was summoned to the country’s Ministry of Security.
The pic, set to debut in Locarno, is described as “an artistic reflection on the anger and the rage of the young generation of Iranians” and was shot without the permission of authorities before recent protests started.
Ahmadzadeh was summoned to the Ministry following the announcement of Locarno’s Competition features on July 5. The film’s international sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, have also received threatening emails and messages demanding the film be pulled from the fest.
Dena said in a statement today that Ahmadzadeh is under frequent interrogation and harassment through text messages. He also said the director’s visa has been blocked and authorities have banned him from leaving the country “Ali is under constant psychological torture, and we believe that making all these public might create a bit of protection for him,” Dena said. “According to what we predicted and agreed on a long time ago we will anyway premiere the film.
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