The award-winning dissident Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi has been arrested. He is the third director to be detained in less than a week, the Mehr news agency said Monday.
In 2015, the Berlin International Film Festival awarded Jafar Panahi, 62, a Golden Bear.
Panahi has earned numerous accolades at international film festivals, such as the top prize in Berlin for “Taxi” in 2015 and the best screenplay award at Cannes for his movie “Three Faces” in 2018.
Why Was Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Arrested?
Iranian director Jafar Panahi is behind bars for protesting against the arrest of his colleagues over the week.
Following up on the recent arrests of his friend, Mohammad Rasoulof, Panahi went to the local prosecutor’s office on Monday and was then detained, according to the Mehr news agency.
Along with his colleague Mostafa Aleahmad, Rasoulof was detained last week for their roles in the 2020 Golden Bear-winning film There is No Evil.
Besides, the two were arrested after speaking out against how the government handled a catastrophic building collapse that occurred on May 23 in Khuzestan Province, in southwest Iran.
The tragic collapse of the 10-story Metropol building in the city of Abadan, which resulted in the deaths of 43 people, sparked irate demonstrations and calls for the officials responsible to be prosecuted and punished.
Jafar Panahi Charged For Protesting At The Two Fellow Directors Arrest
After a protest over the detention of two fellow directors, Panahi was charged on Monday.
Similar to this, he was found guilty of “propaganda against the system” in 2010 and prohibited from leaving Iran after publicly endorsing anti-government demonstrations and making multiple films that criticized contemporary Iran.
On Monday, the Cannes Film Festival criticized the detention of the three filmmakers and demanded their immediate release.
Besides, the Iranian government’s apparent wave of repression against its artists is being aggressively denounced at the Cannes Film Festival, along with these arrests.
In a statement, the festival said: “The Festival de Cannes also wishes to restate its support for all people who, throughout the world, are confronted with violence and tyranny.”
“The Festival is still, and always will be, a shelter for artists from all over the world, and it will tirelessly be at their service to convey their voices clearly in favor of freedom of speech and expression.”
Jafar Panahi Net Worth- His Wealth And Family Info
According to mediamass, the Iranian producer and screenwriter Jafar Panahi has a net worth of about $215 million.
In the same vein, his work as a producer, editor, screenwriter, and filmmaker has greatly contributed to his enormous revenue.
The White Balloon, Panahi’s first feature film, brought him international acclaim after several years of producing short films and serving as an assistant director for fellow Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (1995).
Likewise, the movie became the first Iranian film to win a significant Cannes prize when it took home the Caméra d’Or in 1995.
As for his family, Director Panahi is married to his beautiful wife, Tahereh Saidi, whom he initially met in college when she was working as a nurse. Additionally, Panah Panahi, a son, and Solmaz Panahi, a daughter, were born to them in 1984 and 1985, respectively.