24 08 2008- Golshifteh Farahani in USA for future film roles.

Hollywood postponed
-Golshifteh Farahani has been prevented from heading to the US to discuss future film roles. It's a pointless waste of talent
-Souraya Tehrani
-guardian.co.uk,
-Friday August 22 2008 15:30 BST
Golshifteh Farahani was turned back at Imam Khomeini airport, Tehran
As an Iranian woman and mother, I was absolutely gutted when I heard about the fact that Golshifteh Farahani had been stopped from leaving Iran. Farahani, 25, is a popular actress who has, in her already distinguished career, managed to capture the heart of her nation.

Although the full reasons behind the ban have not become public, the reaction inside Iran to this news – spread through informal channels – has been shock and disappointment. When I spoke to Mona, a 22-year-old university student in Tehran, she told me:
This news has spread very quickly within the student community and Iranian internet chatrooms, but as it has not been much broadcast in the national press, a lot of what we hear is merely speculation. There has been a tremendous amount of support and sympathy towards Golshifteh's problem. This is typical behaviour towards a well-recognised and successful woman in Iran. We are disappointed that there hasn't been a shift in attitudes towards women in recent years.
We can only imagine what must have gone through Farahani's mind as she went thought the gates of the new Imam Khomeini Airport in the outskirts of Tehran. She must have been full of hope and excitement at the prospect of this new stage of her acting career in Hollywood. Iranian women have always played an important role in Iran 's art, music and entertainment world. Farahani was on her way to the US to discuss future film roles when she was informed that she was unable to leave the country due to a problem with the permit which was supposed to allow her to do further work abroad. It has been reported that she was with other actors at the airport when she was given the devastating news.

Although one of the conditions in the contract for her most recent (and as yet unreleased) film Body of Lies was to observe hijab, I am sure the movie director must have made sure her role in the film wouldn't jeopardise her career or life in Iran in any shape or form. "Body of lies" tells the story of a CIA agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) sent to Jordan to track down an al-Qaida leader. Farahani's appearance in the film is the first by an actress living in Iran in a Hollywood movie.

The current turn of events is bad news not only for Farahani, but for others in the entertainment industry in Iran. In one of her recent interviews in Iran, she complained about the lack of encouragement and opportunities for the young people in Iran. She was concerned about their future and mentioned her own brother who plays rock music but is unable to organise a concert due to restrictions.
As an Iranian who has experienced the excessive and unfortunate social restrictions imposed on women, I sincerely hope the airport incident is nothing more than a technical glitch in her agreement with the vezarat-e ershad (ministry of culture and Islamic guidance). This department was founded following the Islamic revolution through the integration of the ministries of culture and art and information and tourism. Hopefully, authorities there will allow her to continue with her journey to secure more acting roles in the US and elsewhere. In one sense, of course, the whole incident has been brilliant publicity for the movie. But we can only hope all obstacles are removed so that this Iranian artist can be free to pursue a global career. Iran at present is lacking role models like Farahani and it would be a great shame if this incident discouraged other young professionals from exploring opportunities outside of Iran.
I would urge the verzarat-e ershad to consider the positive side of this gifted actress playing a role in a Hollywood film. It would show the US public that ordinary Iranians have respect and admiration for US films. It would also project an open-mindedness on the part of the ministry toward Iran-US cooperation in the creative and performing arts. Surely it is difficult enough to create a film and to develop a talent to the point where an actor is invited to take a role in another country, without governments throwing obstacles into the paths of such ventures?

A.M.