Literally ten days ago we wrote about an Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who went on a hunger strike and thirsty protesting his continued imprisonment since last summer despite an acquittal from the country’s highest court. Two days later – and after a worldwide outcry – Panahi was released, but his colleague remained in prison. Mohammad Rasulov. The latter also appears to have finally been released, at least according to yesterday’s report in an Iranian newspaper, which, however, does not provide any further information or any official statements. Other sources say the release was made for health reasons and is only valid for two weeks.

All this confusion is, of course, indicative of the conditions prevailing in the Middle Eastern country, especially when it comes to artists who often use their public image to criticize the government. It is significant that some time ago we learned about the arrest of the famous actress Tarane Alidusti not from an official source, but from the posts of her friends, a few days after the fact. Jafar Panahi himself was also released “temporarily,” his lawyer said, signaling that a new legal battle was underway. The last case, as we have already said, is the case of Mohammad Rasulov. The Iranian director won the Berlin Golden Bear in 2020 for his film No Evil, an excellent film about the death penalty and the suffering it causes in his country’s social fabric. However, the ban on leaving the country deprived him of the joy of attending the awards. Two years later, Rasulov was arrested on charges of “anti-government propaganda”. The first person to run to the prosecutor’s office to protect him was his friend Panahi, but he also ended up in prison.

Now – at least for now – they are both free, but that’s all … The ban on leaving the country, apparently, is in effect, as well as the ban on filmmaking. After all, the last films of both were filmed secretly, traveled and won major international festivals, but were never officially shown in Iran. In general, the shadow of censorship hangs over Iranian cinema – and not only – which looks tragically ironic, given the high level of film production in the country over the past decade. Directors such as Rasulov, Panahi or the fugitive Asghar Faradi and others are not only loud voices against the repressive regime, but also some of the greatest filmmakers of their time, who, unfortunately, are in danger of never being behind the camera again.