The International Rotterdam Film Festival is rallying support for Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, two Iranian filmmakers who have been sentenced to six years in prison and 20 years ban from filmmaking by the Islamic Republic authorities.
Festival participants were urged to have their photo taken holding the names of the two filmmakers. Reports say more than 800 people have posed for the pictures, which can be seen on the Festival website.
Panahi and Rasoulof were arrested during the crackdown on election protests in Iran last March and sentenced for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
The Iranian judiciary had announced previously that the two filmmakers were arrested for “preparing to make a film against the regime.”
On Sunday, Iranian filmmakers opened Iran’s Fajr Film Festival by appealing to the government to drop the charges and withdraw their sentences, which are currently being appealed by their respective lawyers.
