Celebrated Iranian director and screenwriter Saeed Roustayi has been sentenced to six months of correctional imprisonment for the production and screening of his film Leila's Brothers at the Cannes Film Festival.
The verdict, issued by Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Court, stated that 1/20th -- or about nine days -- of the sentence will be enforced, with the remainder suspended for five years.
Before its release last summer, Iran's Cinema Organization at the Ministry of Islamic Guidance banned the film about the tribulations of a woman trying to keep her family solvent amid corruption and the effects of international sanctions, saying the producer and director "violated and disobeyed regulations."
The ban came after the critically acclaimed film won the FIPRESCI Prize from international critics at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or award for best film.
While accepting the FIPRESCI award, Roustayi said it was made in honor of the grieving people of Abadan after the deadly collapse of a tower building in the southwestern Iranian city killed 43 people. The collapse of the partially finished 10-story Metropol building sparked angry protests in solidarity with the families of the dead.
Roustayi's speech angered authorities who quickly moved to prevent the film from screening in Iran.
Additionally, the court has ordered Roustayi to refrain from associating with individuals active in the film industry and to complete a 24-hour filmmaking course at the Qom Sound and Vision Academy, focusing on national and ethical interests.
As part of the suspended sentence's conditions, Roustayi is required to "refrain from activities related to the committed crime or using tools effective in it," "avoid contact and association with individuals active in the film industry," and "attend a filmmaking course at the Qom Sound and Vision Academy."
Such acts of civil disobedience have increased in Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last September for an alleged hijab offense.
While the protests appear to be waning, resistance to the hijab is likely to increase, analysts say, as it is seen now as a symbol of the state's repression of women and the deadly crackdown on society.
Several Iranian cinematographers and prominent public figures have also been summoned by the police or arrested, including director Hamid Porazari.
Other celebrities, including prominent Iranian actresses Afsaneh Bayegan, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Katayon Riahi, and Pantea Bahram, have been interrogated and faced legal action after they made public appearances without wearing the mandatory hijab to show support for the protesters.