Why artists are speaking up against ‘dirty money’ in Iranian cinema

The increasing emergence of “dirty money” in Iranian cinema has sparked an outcry among artists, producers and directors, who are urging action to stop the phenomenon from ruining the industry.
Iranians arrive at the Mellat Cinema Complex in the capital Tehran on February 3, 2019, during the 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
Iranians arrive at the Mellat Cinema Complex in the capital Tehran during the 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival, Feb. 3, 2019. - ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
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Rohollah Faghihi
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The phenomenon of "dirty" or suspicious money appears to have increasingly found a new haven: Iran’s cinema and TV production industry.

In 2015, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli spoke of an issue that had existed for a long time but was rarely confirmed: "dirty money." The term has since come to be used in Iran to refer to money laundering or financing with unclear sources.

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