Filmmakers and film-festival organizers from around the world have called on Iran in an open letter to drop all charges against Iranian filmmakers Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghadam and lift their travel ban.
In the letter released on December 19, the signatories urge the Iranian authorities to halt what they describe as the "merciless harassment" of filmmakers, writers, artists, and composers who give a voice to the aspirations and dreams of the Iranian people.
Among the prominent signatories of the letter are organizers of the Berlin Film Festival, Artists at Risk (affiliated with the PEN American Center), Addis International Film Festival, Naples Human Rights Film Festival, Geneva Human Rights Film Festival, and Cine INSTAR Festival.
Sanaeeha and Moghadam, who have gained international acclaim particularly for their film Ballad Of A White Cow, face accusations of "propaganda against the system and actions against national security."
The open letter highlights the couple's recent ordeal during the production of their new film, My Favorite Cake, when their passports were reportedly confiscated in Tehran as they planned to travel to Paris for postproduction work.
Sanaeeha and Moghadam as well as dozens of other Iranian filmmakers were among those who joined the Facebook hashtag #put_your_gun_down, to protest a violent crackdown during demonstrations that followed in the aftermath of a mall building collapse in the southwestern city of Abadan that killed at least 41 people in May 2022.
Iranian officials have kept up the pressure on filmmakers amid a renewed crackdown on dissent over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody for an alleged clothing violation in September 2022.
Several Iranian cinematographers and prominent public figures have also been summoned by the police or arrested, including actress Katayoun Riahi.