Massoud Kimiaï, an important figure in Iranian cinema, has been banned from leaving the territory, against the backdrop of the protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September, local media announced on Monday.
"
The filmmaker, who wanted to fly to the Netherlands on Sunday evening to participate in the Rotterdam film festival, was banned from leaving the airport
," said the daily
Hamshahri
, a publication of the Tehran municipality.
Now 81 years old, Massoud Kimiaï was one of the great figures of auteur cinema, notably with his film
Gheysar
made in 1969. The filmmaker was to go to the Netherlands for the screening of his last film
Kill the Traitor,
a historical melodrama about 1950s Iran.
Read alsoIran: an actress arrested for having removed her headscarf in a video
According to the Rotterdam festival website, this film explores themes like " working-
class camaraderie
" and "
an impossible desire for honor in a community ravaged by lies, cruelty and dirty politics
."
On September 22, Massoud Kimiaï declared in a video that he "
remained with the people
" during the demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of the young Mahsa Amini.
Several personalities of Iranian cinema have been worried or arrested by the authorities after having supported the wave of protest.
SEE ALSO
- Iran: Macron salutes the fight of Mahsa Amini, "murdered as a martyr"
