In a statement published on Monday, the court ruled that all theaters across the country must stop screening the movie, which began screenings last Wednesday following a ban of about ten years due to allegedly violent scenes.
The film is about a young woman who is killed by her own father, with the aid of her younger brother nearly seventy years ago.
“Screening the movie has caused negative and extensive impacts on people’s minds,” the statement stated.
“The film contains scenes insulting the Iranian people’s religious beliefs, promoting violence against women, undermining the perfect Iranian-Islamic traditions and culture, and representing a false and distorted image of the Iranian family,” it added.
The statement also said that according to the reports the court has received from its agents, screening the movie “has imperiled the mental health of society” and added that “to prevent any threat to public order and maintain the mental health of society” the court decided to stop the screening of the movie.
The court also said that no modifications have been made to The Paternal House and “all the culprits will be prosecuted.”
Earlier last week, Mohammad-Mehdi Tabatabainejad, the director of the Culture Ministry’s Supervision and Evaluation Office, said that Ayari had already obtained the approval of the office to screen his movie after making the necessary modifications.
A council composed of a group of experts at the office assesses screenplays and films to grant production and screening licenses in Iran.
In a new response to the court’s decision to ban the movie, Tabatabainejad said that the office will stand pat on its decision to approve the film.
The Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) as the country’s highest policymaking body in film industry also criticized the judicial decision in an interview published by the Persian service of IRNA on Tuesday.
“Is it possible at all to get a screening license from the council, all of whose members are experts that work hand-in-hand with officials, for a film that is unfavorable towards Iran or is anti-religion or anti-family?” COI director Hossein Entezami lamented.
“The council is comprised of film critics and sociologists who do not view ‘The Paternal House’ as a vehicle to promote violence,” he added.
Entezami also asked Judiciary Chief Ebrahimi Raisi to intervene in the matter to overturn the court’s decision.
The Paternal House was directed about ten years ago, but it failed to receive the approval of cultural authorities to be screened at that time due to the allegation that it contained some violent scenes.
The Paternal House recently received the approval of cultural authorities for screenings in the country after it had been banned in the country for about ten years due to some allegedly violent scenes.
Ayari finally agreed to make some modifications to his movie to get the green light for his movie and screenings of it began last Wednesday.
Source: Tehran Times