Iran's Cinema Organization Defends Ban On Actresses Over Hijab

The head of Iran's Cinema Organization has defended the ban on several actresses who removed their hijab in solidarity with the Woman, Life, Freedom protests last year.

The anti-regime protests in 2022 gained momentum following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini while in hijab police custody, leading to a wave of outrage. In a show of solidarity with the protests, a number of Iranian actresses publicly shared images of themselves without the obligatory hijab.

The government official in charge of strictly regulating the cinema industry, Mohammad Khazaei, indirectly mentioned that the condition for lifting the ban on the actresses' work is an "apology for violating the mandatory hijab." He implied in a TV program that the ban's removal is contingent on the actresses "changing their approach."

Khazaei also pointed out that the legal authority for implementing the ban on the female artists lies with either the judiciary or security agencies, suggesting that the decision to prohibit their work had been made outside the realm of the Cinema Organization.

Responding to protests by filmmakers and cinema professionals who opposed the ban, Khazaei claimed that the Cinema Organization follows the orders and directives of the judiciary and security agencies.

Earlier, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, the Minister of Culture, once again confirmed the ban on actresses who had refused to wear the mandatory hijab. On October 25, Iran officially released a list of actresses who are now prohibited from working in the film industry due to their non-compliance with the hijab requirement.

The list of affected actresses includes several well-known figures in the Iranian film industry, such as Baran Kosari, Vishka Asayesh, Taraneh Alidousti, Katayoun Riahi, Panteha Bahram, Hengameh Ghaziani, Pegah Ahangarani, and others.