Film directors Moghaddam and Sanaeeha again blocked from leaving Iran

Iranian film directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha reported on Telegram on Wednesday that they have again been prevented from leaving the country.

"My passport was confiscated at Tehran airport yesterday, and I was told that we could no longer leave the country," they posted. After being seized for a lengthy period, their passports were returned to the directorial pair a week ago.

Moghaddam and Sanaeeha recently criticized newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian. "You cannot lead a society to growth and reform by means of deception," they said.

The filmmakers had put forward their "Keyke mahboobe man" (My Favourite Cake) for this year's Berlin International Film Festival but were unable to attend the screening.

While they did not receive an award, the film, which tells the story of a 70-year-old widow finding love after the death of her husband, was well received by the public.

They started shooting the film before the wave of protests led by Iranian women that erupted across the country in the autumn of 2022.

The detention by Iran's moral police and subsequent death in hospital of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini was followed by the most serious protests since the founding of the Islamic republic in 1979.

According to the two directors, filming was conducted in secret as far as possible as the street demonstrations continued.

The Iranian authorities have kept a close eye on the country's artistic world since the revolution, with filmmakers having to apply for permission to shoot and screen their productions.

The country's lively film sector has, however, been able to express subtle or even open criticism of the political system.