A court in Iran has sentenced director Saeed Roustaee to six months in prison. His crime? Screening his film "Leila's Brothers" at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
The film, which dealt with a family struggling with economic hardship, was banned in Iran. It was in competition for the Palme d'Or and won the FIPRESCI prize that year at the festival.
Roustaee, and his producer Java’s Noruzbegi, were found guilty of "contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system." The film was banned after it "broke the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorization," and the director refused to "correct" it as requested by the culture ministry, official media said at the time.
Roustaee will also be required to take a filmmaking course about "preserving national and ethical interests" and refrain from associating with other cinema professionals, the newspaper said.