LEBANON: Censors pull plug on screenings of Iranian protest film during Ahmadinejad visit

As the Middle East braces for the controversial visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon this week, censors in Beirut are trying to make sure his visit goes smoothly.

They have put a halt to screenings of a documentary film about opposition protests in Iran that were due to coincide with Ahmadinejad's visit, according to a source, apparently in deference to Ahmadinejad and his entourage.

The movie, titled "Green Days" and directed by 22-year-old Iranian filmmaker Hana Makhmalbaf, was reportedly scheduled to be shown at the annual Beirut International Film Festival in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday, the first day of Ahmadinejad's two-day visit to Lebanon.

Bassem Hajj, press spokesman for the film festival, told Babylon & Beyond that censors from Lebanon's General Security contacted the festival over the weekend and requested that the movie be postponed.

He couldn't recall an incident in which any other film in the festival had ever gotten tangled up with the censorship authorities for such a reason.

Plans for now are to show the film on Oct. 14 or the day after, when Ahmadinejad is scheduled to leave the country, according to Hajj.

"As soon as he departs," he said, "there is a possibility to show it."

Makhmalbaf's film centers on the protests staged by Iran's political opposition following the disputed presidential elections of 2009, in which incumbent Ahmadinejad claimed victory. The film features graphic footage of the violent clashes that broke out between Iranian security forces and demonstrators.

 

Adding another angle to the controversy, Makhmalbaf is the daughter of the Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a close associate of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iran's foremost opposition leader.

Makhmalbaf appeared deeply disturbed about the news coming out of Beirut in a comment she made in Farsi about the censorship of her film, posted on the website of the Makhmalbaf film house (Persian) and circulated on blogs in English.

In her note, Makhmalbaf called on Lebanese citizens to circumvent the censors and organize private screenings of the film in their homes. She also urged them to stand up against President Ahmadinejad.

"Ahmadinejad in my land is the symbol of censorship. Look how he brings censorship to your country before even arriving there," she wrote, according to the blog of activist Potkin Azarmehr. "Ahmadinejad stole our votes yesterday and will steal your trust today. His intention is not to help you, just as his intention is not to serve Iran. ... He uses your land as a frontline trench of his imaginary war."

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photo: Iranian filmmaker Hana Makhmalbaf. Credit: Amoeblog website. Video: Trailer of Makhmalbaf's protest film, "Green Days." Credit: YouTube

Comments

[sam]

REPLY helen.
who is he quite popular with, not the people he has had tortured/murdered/raped,not the people who have been kept in jails with-out any-body being told where they are,not the people that are to scared to speak up for them-selves and their family,oh i know he must be popular with the other mad men murders of women and children,you know the ones that hide behind womens skirts and then call themselves heroes,may-be he's popular with the sheep he and his kind has brain washed into thinking that this idiot and people like him,are to be admired, of course when you find out the truith its to late membership is for life,no opt out clause yes he an d those like him rearly are to be looked up to,or should i say down to, as deep down as possible,

[Real Truth]

THANK GOD ABOVE MATERIALISM/IMPERIALISM/CAPITALISM (Big LIES and bloody Crimes Of Greed) WILL NEVER HAVE A STANDING AND LASTING PLACE IN IRAN OR ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Helen]

None sense! Ahamadnegad is quite popular.

[FarshidBo]

Ahmadinejad is a fool, he and his delegation think by preventing the movie being shown that people will forget about him cheating at election time. And if the Lebanese will show the movie after he leaves, then that should be a clear indicator that even the Lebanese Hezbullah only want his money, If they really thought that there was no cheating of votes and that the documentary was not depicting the truth they would not show it in the first place.
My advice to the smart Lebanese is to reject Ahmadinejad at every level. Do not let him put your country at risk of war again, do not welcome him, he is not your friend he is your enemy and do not take his money, that money is tainted with blood of innocent people and any help or money you accept from this Iranian Government has conditions attached. Do not let your country be the front for a foreign dictator.

[Jason Shams]

@Mehdi: I am also an Iranian, and it isn't so clear to me that Ahmadinejad won the elections.

Those with proof of election fraud are in prison, under house arrest, or forced into exile and underground. There is more than enough proof of discrepancies in the election process.

Also, your claim that those who live in the cities are a minority is simply, not true, like most of the statements of your dear president Ahmadinejad. More than 60 percent of the Iranian population live in the cities. I won't even go to the effort to pull up a source for you, you can do that yourself.

[sam]

ahmadinejad, the mad man is loose again may-be the warders havent noticed him missing yet, still he will be back in his cage again soon.
its ok to have the nut case over for coffee but do you rearly want him to stop the night.

[Jim]

They don't want the truth to come out..better to keep the sheep quiet.

[Paul Coleman]

What is it about the Arab/Islamic regimes and their reactionary lackeys that they always bring up Israel when being criticized? This article is about Iran and Lebanon, not Israel, transparent attempts to deflect notwithstanding.

[Mohammad Sheikhlotfi]

Why don't the Lebanese keep him there and have him as their president, if they love him so much? We will be happy in Iran and the Lebanese will be happy. Good for everybody

[polona]

Mehdi - yes, of course. Only Ahamdinejad's version of the events is proven, right? When did we ever catch him lying, right? Or any other individual or a group of people desperately clinging to their illegitimate power.
How many people had to risk their safety, their integrity, their lives, to show the truth, and you still disrespect them in this way.
And what does fighting for freedom have to do with McDonalds? It never ceases to amaze me, how some of you still fall for these cheap tricks - the saint IRI against the bad bad West. For your information the world is not black and white, and one does not fight an enemy by destroying their own.

[Nader Jan]

Obviously Matty's the same as Mehdi.
@ Mehdi and Matty
I wouldn't view you as an As a Iranian while you capitalize that powerless puppets' name and not the homeland. "Europeans Union guy" is no proof to the world, what proves to the world that rise of Ahmadinejad was after a coup d'etat is the demonstrations of the brave Iranians on the streets of the capital, reports of torturing our brothers mentally and physically , raping, and murdering them in the horrendous jails of the Islamic regime in power.

Fact is that Iranians are from different ethnic groups, Azeri, Baluch and as for "Farsi" it's Parsi, ethnic groups are capitalized, for your grammar check; evidently Simin Institute hasn't made a great effort on making that go through.
Conservatism in Iran is not for standing by the Islamic regime, it would be a life long disgrace standing by this regime for any conservative.
You mention during the time of war, I'm glad you mentioned that the people
stood by "Iran", I would have personally fought against any foreign invaders if there was a decent regime which was the mentality of Iranian crowd, unfortunately there was no such thing as mass media back in the 80's to show a glimpse of what these animals are doing to the people.
The West is not to blame here, you very well know that yourself. The enemy is right there in Tehran.
Focus, not focuse
I wish you had the dignity to capitalize your country's name first and not the Islamic Regime.

[Irandokht]

Thanks Hana for showing the unjustice in Iran. I am sure our brothers & sisters in Lebanon will say NO to blood money that a dictator like Ahamdinejad or Khameneii is offering them!
My brothers & sisters, please watch the video & don't put your future in de hands of vultures like Ahmadinejad, show him what you really think of his inhuman actions againd his own people!

[Winston]

Lebanon is occupied by Hezbbollah and, by extension the Iranian regime is the sole occupier of the Lebanese nation. Lebanon will not be freed until the evil Iranian regime is removed and replaced by a democratic, secular and freely elected government. Freedom in Iran means freedom in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and else where.

[Hassan Almassi]

Very powerful statement by Hana Makhmalbaf. Sadly I dont think it will make much difference the Lebanese are still intoxicated on the handouts they are getting from the Iranian regime, the last thing they care about is the brutality of the regime which is giving it to them. I wish they would listen to their Iranian brothers and sisters and realise where they are heading to

[Matty]

You are good in stiching film clips to make your points look valid. Karrubi received over 13 million votes? Aha! I could run that show too, if I had some cash.

[Joe]

If US Government were supporting Lebanon as they're supporting Israel, Lebanese wouldn't needed a Iranian support, unfortunately our government has been infiltrated by biased foreign powers!

[Mehdi]

As a iranian I say that Ahmadinejad clearly won the elections. There is no proof other than the european union guy who has a piece of paper claiming false results.

Fact is iranians are ethnic groups like arabs in south, azeri in north, baluch , and fars. they are conservative and unlike the minority in parts of big cities who claim to represent Iran, they form the majority and have always defended iran in times of war and stood by the Islamic Republic. Unfortunatly for some reason the west seems to focuse on westernised few who unfortunatly are fooled into selling iran and islam for mcdonnald and hollywood.

Long live Ahmadinejad.

[David]

Sounds a bit like the suppression of the Rachel Corrie film at Jewish Film Festivals in the US.

[atrayu]

Get ready for them to blame Israel..like they always do