Irans Reza Dormishian Banned From Travel To International Film Festival Of India For Supporting Protests

Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian, producer of Dariush Mehrjui’s A Minor, which is set to have its world premiere in competition at the on-going International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, has not been granted a permit to leave Iran, so is unable to attend the event.

Dormishian’s passport was confiscated at the airport and he was referred to an Iranian court of law for prosecution. Throughout the current nationwide protests in Iran, Dormishian has been sharing posts on his Instagram account to show support for the protestors. 

Born in 1981 in Tehran, Dormishian is a screenwriter, director, documentary filmmaker and producer, with credits including Hatred, I’m Not Angry!, A Minor and No Choice, which have screened at major film festivals and won several awards. His movies have often criticized aspects of Iranian society and have been subject to heavy censorship and lengthy bans in his home country. White Chairs, which he directed and produced in 2017, was shot in New Zealand.

Mehrjui’s debut feature, The Cow (1969) was one of the first Iranian films to screen at international film festivals. A Minor is the 27th feature directed by Mehrjui, whose credits also include Hamoun, Santouri, Mum’s Guest, Leila and The Pear Tree. Mehrjui’s films have travelled to festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Tokyo and San Sebastian. 

Dormishian directed his debut feature Hatred in 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, since when his credits as a director have included I’m Not Angry!, Lantouri, White Chairs and No Choice. His films have screened at festivals including Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, Mar del Plata, Shanghai, Montreal, Vancouver and Istanbul.

Several well-known Iranian actors including Navid Mohammadzadeh, Bahram Afshari, Mehdi Koushki and Reza Koolghani have had their breakout roles in Dormishian’s films.

Dormishian has also attended festivals such as Poland’s Warsaw, India’s Pune and Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah as an international juror. He has also worked with Mehrjui on films including Orange Suit and Good To Be Back.

The Salesman / Asghar Farhadi , Iran-France