Iran film festival faces membership suspension and withdrawals amid unrest
The Tehran International Short Film Festival’s credibility hangs in the balance after the international Short Film Conference found its board supportive of “disgraceful government actions” during the Iran uprisings and suspended its membership in response.
TEHRAN — The 39th edition of the Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF), which is the oldest of its kind in Iran and the region, kicked off Oct. 19 in the Iranian capital amid controversy surrounding its timing and the board members’ attitude toward the anti-government protests since the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in religious police custody Sept. 16.
During the weekend before the festival, an international association of the short film industry, known as the Short Film Conference (SFC), lashed out at TISFF for what it called support of the Iranian government’s measures against protesters.
“We have compelling testimony from industry and filmmakers that the current board of the Tehran ISFF are fully supportive of the disgraceful current actions of the Iranian government and its systematic oppression,” read the statement issued on Facebook with #MahsaAmini and #WomanLifeLiberty hashtags.
The SFC further called on filmmakers not to submit or screen at TISFF, urging industry professionals to shun the festival until “their stance has changed."
