After the Cannes Film Festival, the Ministry of Culture in Tehran sharply criticized the film “Holy Spider” by Iranian director Ali Abbasi. “This worthless film reflects a distorted image of Iranian society and is an insult to Shiites and their faith,” the culture ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“Nevertheless, he is being awarded for political reasons and is therefore a cultural blot on France and the Cannes Film Festival.” Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who was the first Iranian woman to be awarded best actress for “Holy Spider”, was also criticized. She left her country in 2006 after a private video showing her having sex with her then-boyfriend became public. “Holy Spider” tells the story of a serial killer who killed 16 prostitutes in the pilgrimage city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran and was eventually executed after his arrest.
The actor couple around Fereschteh Hosseini and Navid Mohammadzadeh also caused a stir. A kiss on the red carpet made headlines in the Iranian press and social media. Hosseini, daughter of an Afghan refugee family, has become increasingly well-known in Iran in recent years. The 25-year-old is repeatedly reported in the Iranian media, particularly because of her style of clothing, which has been criticized as “un-Islamic”. (apa/dpa)
–
