Jafar Panahi - Support Him | Cine Talk

Who is Jafar Panahi?? The connoisseurs of World Cinema know him as a sensible film maker from middle-east (Iran, to be precise) who made movies like The Mirror, The Circle and Offside. His movies are woven around the lives of Iranians and their problems. His most notable movie The Circle spoke about the condition of women under Iran’s Islamist regime and Offside narrated tale of girls who dress up as boys to watch soccer matches.

Why is he arrested?? Officially, he is arrested because he was making a movie on Iran’s government and that will show the country in a bad light. Panahi and his family refuted the charges. Cinema lovers and supporters opposed the arrest. Icons like Francis F. Coppola, Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Curtis Hanson, Ang Lee, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Abbas Kiarostami raised their voice. However, Government was more than adamant and verdict came out.

What is his punishment?? The court ordered a six year imprisonment and twenty years ban on making/directing movies, writing screenplay and giving any kind of interviews apart from the restriction that he cannot go out of the country. The draconian judgment aimed at killing the voice of Iranian Neorealistic cinema’s torch-bearer.

Our Stand: At TRM we believe in voice. One can be imprisoned if he has done anything wrong but the twenty years ban on speech and expression is a crime against God. Panahi deserves a better treatment. If he is being prosecuted for sedition charges, let the trial be fair. Even then if he is found guilty, sentence him. However, you cannot ban his right to express. Expression is the difference between living and dead. You cannot force a person live like a dead.

The universal uproar against the sentence and support of proactive Iranian Bloggers/Tweepies indicate foul play. Support Panahi because what he is facing is inhuman. Vote to say that you have a voice…

Thanks

Sujoy Ghosh