In Asghar Faradi’s masterpiece When Ellie Gone, Tarane Alidousti plays a young teacher who mysteriously disappears while having a picnic with friends somewhere in an Iranian village. Filmmaker Samia Mirsamsi revealed last Saturday that the real Alidusti also “disappeared” after being arrested by police for her recent criticism of the Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty, which he believes also applies to those arrested. in the latest disturbances.

“His name was Mohsen Sekari. “Any international organization that watches this bloodshed and doesn’t react is a disgrace to humanity,” says her latest social media post regarding the December 8 execution of a protester accused of injuring a policeman and blocking a road in Tehran. Then her account, which had over 8 million followers, was deleted. A few days earlier, she had posted a photo of her with her hair down and the famous “Women, Freedom of Life” sign in her hand, which has become the slogan of the recent anti-government movement.

Unlike other film and art colleagues who have fled abroad in recent years due to censorship and persecution, Alidousti has remained in Iran. “I have no other passport or place of residence outside of Iran. I will stay and look you straight in the eye, as all people do when I shout about my rights, ”he said.

However, the issue of the death penalty has not been of concern to the Iranian film world lately. In 2020, Mohammad Rasulov received the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for No Evil, a sentimental film about the death penalty and how it destroys the lives of people, and not just those who have been executed. The constant horror of persecution and cruel punishments pervades all four vignettes, which even feature protagonists on both sides of the law. The film, of course, was filmed in secret, and Rasulov himself was then forbidden to leave the country to receive an award in Berlin. For several months now, he and fellow director Jafar Panahi have been in detention because of their harsh political stance towards the Islamic regime.

As for Tarane Alidousti, who, among others, starred in Asghar Faradi’s Oscar-winning The Merchant, her fate remains uncertain. According to what Mirsamsi said, her home was searched by the authorities and her arrest was officially confirmed with a note that “the case is being investigated further.”