LEBANON: Iran revolution film 'Persepolis' unbanned

So finally, freedom of expression triumphed in Lebanon over the archaic practice of censorship.

Lebanese authorities revoked an earlier decision to ban an animated film that was regarded by some Shiite clerics here as "offensive to Iran and Islam."

The film in question is "Persepolis," an internationally acclaimed animated feature that was released last year in the United States and Europe. It is based on an autobiographical graphic novel series about a young girl trying to find her way in restrictive Iran after its 1979 Islamic revolution.

The earlier ban imposed by an official security body in the country set off an outcry in Lebanese intellectual and political circles, who saw the move as outrageous. Condemning the ban of cultural and artistic works in the country, a Lebanese journalist wrote on his From Beirut to the Beltway blog: "I know that the heart of every culture-loving Lebanese breaks with every ban."

Persepolis will be released in theaters in Beirut starting May 3, according to the film's distributor.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut

Photo: A Lebanese man holds a copy of the animated film "Persepolis" in Beirut. Credit: Joseph Barrak /  AFP / Getty Images