Martin Scorsese backs petition against Iran director Saeed Roustaee’s jailing
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Film-maker Martin Scorsese (left) reposted a campaign launched by his daughter this week after news of Iranian director Saeed Roustaee’s (right) prison sentence emerged.
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LOS ANGELES – Martin Scorsese has backed a petition against the jailing of prominent Iranian movie director Saeed Roustaee for screening a film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.
The Oscar-winning American film-maker of Taxi Driver (1976) and Goodfellas (1990) reposted a campaign launched by his daughter Francesca this week after news of Roustaee’s prison sentence emerged.
“Please sign this petition to bring justice to Saeed,” Scorsese, 80, wrote on Instagram.
Roustaee, 34, was sentenced to six months’ prison for the screening of his film Leila’s Brothers at Cannes in 2022, reported Iranian media on Tuesday.
The film, which recounts the economic struggles of a family in Teheran, is banned in Iran.
Roustaee and the movie’s producer, Javad Noruzbegi, were found guilty of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system”, reported Iranian reformist daily Etemad.
The sentence includes a ban on working for five years.
The film-makers will serve only about nine days in prison, while the remainder “will be suspended over five years”, according to Etemad, which added the verdict can be appealed.
Francesca Scorsese, an actress and director, wrote in her petition: “We now have less than 20 days to help garner enough attention to appeal his sentence.”
She urged supporters to sign, so Roustaee “can continue to be a force of good in the world”.
The petition was two-thirds of the way to reaching its 15,000-signature target on Thursday.
Leila’s Brothers – which was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or top prize at Cannes in 2022 – won the International Federation of Film Critics award there.
Official Iranian media has said the film “broke the rules by entering international film festivals without authorisation” and the director refused to “correct” it as requested by the culture ministry.
Cannes festival organisers this week denounced “a serious violation of free speech for Iranian artists, film-makers, producers and technicians”.
Iran has long had a thriving cinema scene, with directors such as Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi scooping awards around the world.
Roustaee has gained international renown since the 2019 release of his film Just 6.5, an uncompromising look at Iran’s drug problem and the brutal, and fruitless, police response. AFP
