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Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Stopped from Making
His Latest Motion Picture

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the renowned Iranian filmmaker, informs that his project "Amnesia" had not been approved by the Iranian authorities.

"Amnesia", the script written by Mohsen Makhmalbaf and submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in early 2004 was officially refused permit to be made into a motion picture by the said Ministry on Tuesday may 4, 2004.

The idea of the script reflecting two decades of pain and sufferings of the Iranian people and artists is among the subjects that took Mohsen Makhmalbaf years to write and it was finally completed last fall when he was admitted to Mehr Hospital in Tehran due to heart problems.

The film was due shooting this spring in Tehran casting professional actors and now with the Ministry’s refusal it lost the chance to be made. This refusal by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance once again puts aside Mohsen Makhmalbaf from making films in Iran after 4 years since the making of his last feature film, "Kandahar". It seems that the new censorship strategy intends to push the Iranian artists to migrate from the country.

It is worthwhile to mention that the films "A Time for Love" and "The Nights of Zayandehrud" are still banned from showing in Iran after 13 years.

In addition, during the recent years the productions of Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Makhmalbaf Film House have faced the problem of improper screening; a kind of implied censorship. Many of these films are either prevented from showing or in a pretentious maneuver are shown in a couple of theatres for a short time and disappear before anyone finds out about the showings.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf
May 5, 2004

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