THE Wellington film community and human rights activists are indignant over the jailing of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
Late last year Panahi was jailed for six years and banned from leaving Iran, and making films or scriptwriting for 20 years.
Panahi was originally detained in March 2010, but was released again in May following a hunger strike and international outcry. Despite being released from prison, Panahi was prevented from travelling to Venice to open the short film section of the Film Festival.
At the time, Panahi said: “When a film-maker is not allowed to make films, he is mentally imprisoned. He may not be confined to a small cell, but he is still wandering in a larger prison.”
The recent charges include allegations Panahi was attempting to encourage demonstrations and incite protests with a new film, which was to look at the impact of Iran’s 2009 disputed elections on Iranian families. In Wellington, Panahi’s most recent film Offside will be screened to raise awareness of his plight.
Journalist Gordon Campbell is organising the Offside screening.
“Panahi is not the Michael Moore of Iran. He sees himself as a socially committed filmmaker not a political one,” he says.  
In his defence statement to the court Panahi said: “I am not a film maker who judges but one that invites others to see.
“My case is a perfect example of being punished before committing a crime. You are putting me on trial for making a film that at the time of our arrest was only 30 percent shot. You must have heard that the famous creed: “There is no god, except Allah”, turns into blasphemy if you only say the first part and omit the second part. How can you establish that a crime has been committed by looking at 30 percent of the rushes for a film that has not been edited yet?”
Panahi’s prior films The White Balloon, The Circle and Offside, were all shown in the NZFF. Offside tells the story of Iranian female football fans dressing as men to sneak into Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, hoping to watch the big game they are banned from attending. The film was subsequently released in New Zealand commercially.
Panahi’s films are banned in Iran, “but they have had a great deal of international acclaim and have won prizes in both Venice and Berlin,” says Gosden.
Director of the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) Dieter Kosslick says, “In his films, Jafar Panahi critically explores the social situation in his homeland. His conviction violates the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the arts.
Despite censorship concerns Campbell says: “Iran up until now has had one of the most vibrant film cultures of any country outside Europe and the USA. There’s been a whole raft of people making great film there over the last 10 years. This is a loss for everybody.”.
Offside, 6:15pm, Paramount Theatre,
January 30.