Culture

Iranwire – In an escalation of pressure on celebrities, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary has initiated a subpoena case against two renowned actresses for appearing without the mandatory hijab, authorities said on Monday. According to a report from the official Mizan news agency published on June 12, Azadeh Samadi was summoned following her appearance without a hijab at a funeral.  The …

Iranwire – Iranian security institutions have prevented acclaimed actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, who has expressed solidarity with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest movement, from traveling to Austria to participate in a multidisciplinary art festival in Vienna. “Unfortunately, the scheduled performances of The Child have had to be cancelled as the leading actress, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, has been denied permission to leave Iran,” …

RFL/RE – The head of the Cinema Organization of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has warned the country’s film industry that dissent will be dealt with harshly after several people from the sector participated in the Cannes Film Festival without obtaining permission from Tehran. Mohammad Khazaie said on May 29 that the individuals who traveled to the French seaside resort …

RFL/RE – A group of Iranian artists has called on the country’s cultural figures to reject the legitimacy of the Islamic republic’s “unjust” Ministry of Guidance and produce their works, including exhibitions, book and magazine publications, and film productions without seeking permission. “We request all artists, writers, publishers, and those involved in Iranian films and TV shows not to recognize the cultural …

VOA – Iranian American Sanaz Toossi won the Pulitzer Prize in drama Monday for her play English. The play takes place in 2008 near Tehran, where four Iranian adults prepare for an English proficiency test. It examines how family separation and travel restrictions push them to learn a new language and how that may change their identity. The Pulitzer board called …

Iranwire – Iran’s minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts has suggested that the authorities’ crackdown on women without a mandatory headscarf in public places could be a “tourist attraction.” In an interview with ILNA news agency on May 3, Ezzatollah Zarghami dismissed the possibility that the brutal handling of women without hijab could deter foreigners from visiting Iran. “Anything …

gatestoneinstitute.org – It was supposed to be a routine remake of scores of reportages offered by the official TV each year. The formula used is simple: A concert hall filled with a handpicked audience of carefully screened audience chanting “God is Great, Hail to Supreme Leader!” Then the “Supreme Leader” enters, accompanied by his military and clerical entourage, to sit …

Iranwire – Women without a mandatory hijab are now banned from museums and historical sites, in yet another move showing the authorities’ determination to enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Morteza Adibzadeh, head of the General Directorate of Museums, announced the new restriction in a circular dated April 24, citing the “protection of cultural affairs and public safety” as …

Al-Monitor — State TV has long been recognized as one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, in the past two years, Vahid Jalili, a hard-line figure, has taken the helm causing concern even among conservatives, with his primary goal to promote the Islamic Republic’s ideology in the most hard-line and extreme way.  In 2021, a …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities forced the staff of the film “World War III” to remove the name of its director and the photo of its main actor from promotional billboards, in yet another move to punish artists and celebrities who have expressed support for anti-government protests. The film’s distributor, Mohammad Shayesteh, said on April 18 that the charges were made …