Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The famous Iranian director, Saeed Rostai, was sentenced to six months in prison, after showing his latest film during the Cannes International Film Festival last year, according to local reports.
Rostai premiered his film “Laila’s Brothers”, which deals with the story of a family in Tehran trying hard to provide for a living, as part of a competition for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
Rostai and the producer of the movie “Layla’s Brothers,” Javad Norouzbeghi, were each sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film and “contributing to the opposition’s propaganda against the Islamic regime,” according to Iranian media.
The two will spend about nine days in prison, with the remainder of their sentences suspended for five years, according to Agence France-Presse. They will also not be allowed to shoot movies during this period.
CNN has reached out to Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment, but has not yet received a response.
News of Rostai’s sentencing sparked international criticism, particularly from American director Martin Scorsese, who participated in a petition in support of Rostai started by his daughter, Francesca Scorsese.
The petition, and a post by Scorsese that he shared on his official Instagram account, said: “Please sign and share this petition calling for justice…so that he can continue to be a force for good in the world. His voice must be heard.”
The movie “Laila’s Brothers” was previously banned in Iran, where officials ruled that the film “broke the rules by entering international film festivals without permission,” according to Agence France-Presse.
Despite the ban, “Laila’s Brothers” was admired by critics.
Although the film did not win the Palme d’Or, it won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Best International Film Award at the Munich International Film Festival.
This is not the first time that filmmakers have been imprisoned in Iran.
Last year, director Jafar Panahi was arrested after inquiring about the detention of fellow Iranian directors, who were arrested after protesting against violence by security forces towards civilians following a deadly building collapse. Their arrest was part of a new crackdown on peaceful expression, according to Human Rights Watch.
“Unable or unwilling to confront the serious challenges facing Iran, the government has resorted to its repressive response by imprisoning popular critics,” Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement last year.
“There is no reason not to believe that these latest arrests are merely retaliatory moves to deter public anger at the government’s widespread failures,” she added.
Panahi was released in February, two days after he began his hunger strike.
