Iranian official comments on plan to premiere Farhadi’s “Past”

TEHRAN,April 9(MNA) -- The director of the Iran Cinema Organization has commented on an Iranian distributor’s plan to screen Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past” in Iran. “If the scenes and the subject of the film are in harmony with the regulations governing the Iranian cinema, the film will face no problem for premiering in the country,” Javad Shamaqdari told on Monday. The film must obtain approval from the Council for Issuing Screening Licenses to premiere, he added. The Iranian film distribution company Filmiran announced in mid-March that it is seeking to premiere “The Past” in Iran. The €11-million picture is Farhadi’s first project that is being shot outside of his native Iran. The French-language film is about an Iranian man, who has ongoing domestic problems with his French wife. He deserts her and his two children to go back to his homeland, Iran. In the mean time, his wife is seeing a French man and therefore writes to him and asks for a divorce, which compels the man to come back to France, only to see his wife's new partner in his home beside his children. French actor of Algerian origin Tahar Rahim and Argentine-French star Bérénice Bejo play the leading roles in the film. Iranian actor Ali Mosaffa is also featured in the cast. “The Past” is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Farhadi’s previous film “A Separation” won an Oscar, Golden Globe and French César for best foreign film earlier in 2012 as well as Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2011.