Award-winning dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been arrested, the third director to be detained in less than a week, Mehr news agency said on Monday.
Panahi, 62, won a Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival in 2015.
“Jafar Panahi has been arrested today when he went to the prosecutor's office to follow up on the situation of another filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof,” AFP reported, citing Mehr.
State news agency IRNA reported late on Friday that Rasoulof, also an award-winning filmmaker, had been arrested along with colleague Mostafa Aleahmad.
Panahi has won many awards at international festivals, including the top prize in Berlin for Taxi in 2015, and best screenplay at Cannes for his film Three Faces in 2018.
But since being convicted of “propaganda against the system” in 2010 following his support for anti-government protests and a string of films that criticised modern Iran, he has been barred from leaving the country to receive any of these awards.
Rasoulof, 50, won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2020 with his film There Is No Evil but was also unable to accept the award in person as he was barred from leaving Iran.
Both he and Aleahmad were arrested over events related to the deadly collapse of the Metropol building in the city of Abadan, an event that sparked angry protests, IRNA reported.
“In the midst of the heartbreaking incident in Abadan's Metropol, [the filmmakers] were involved in inciting unrest and disrupting the psychological security of society,” the agency added.
The 10-storey Metropol building that was under construction in south-western Khuzestan province collapsed on May 23, killing 43 people.
It sparked demonstrations in solidarity with victims' families.
Demonstrators demanded that “incompetent officials” responsible for the tragedy be prosecuted and punished, with protesters facing tear gas, warning shots and arrests by police.
A group of Iranian filmmakers led by Rasoulof published an open letter calling on security forces to “lay down their arms” in the face of outrage over the “corruption, theft, inefficiency and repression” surrounding the Abadan collapse.
Organisers of the Berlin film festival on Saturday protested against the arrests of Rasoulof and Aleahmad and called for their release.
Rasoulof's passport was confiscated after the premiere of his 2017 film A Man of Integrity at Cannes, where it won the top prize in the “Un Certain Regard” section of the festival.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Company%20Profile
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Youth YouTuber Programme
The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:
- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots
- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing
- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE%20set%20for%20Scotland%20series
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
