Several Iranian cinematographers have canceled their participation in the Tehran Short Film Festival in solidarity with the families of those killed in ongoing protests in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody for allegedly violating the law on wearing a hijab.
Hamid Najafirad, Pouyan Sedghi, Hassan Hosseini, and Fardin Khalatbari are among those who said they were withdrawing their films from the festival.
Kaveh Mazaheri, one of the filmmakers who was supposed to cooperate with the festival as an international consultant, also announced that he was no longer willing to participate in the festival.
Mehdi Azarpandar, the secretary of the festival, said in a meeting on October 11 that despite the protests and cancellations, the festival will be held on schedule.
Unrest has swept Iran following the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being taken into custody for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly.
Since the start of daily protests that have rocked Iran since Amini's death, several Iranian cinematographers and prominent public figures have been summoned or arrested by the authorities, including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasulof, and Mostafa al-Ahmad.
SEE ALSO: Iranian Filmmaker Jailed For Six Years Amid Crackdown On DissentSeveral Iranian celebrities, including soccer star Ali Daei, have been interrogated and had their passports confiscated by the authorities after showing support for anti-government protests.
SEE ALSO: Iran Revokes Passports Of Celebrities Who Supported Nationwide ProtestsNoted Iranian actor Hamid Farrokhnejad said in a story on his Instagram page on October 9 that he had undergone hours of interrogation and pressure from security officials because of his support for the protesters.
"I was summoned twice, interrogated for 10 hours and banned from leaving the country to prove to me that I was wrong when I said that even a peaceful protest is not possible in this country," Farrokhnejad said.
The semiofficial ILNA news agency reported that the passports of famed singer Homayoun Shajarian and Sahar Dolatshahi, an actress, were confiscated on October 8 after the pair returned from a concert tour in Australia.