deputy film commissioner of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. In protest of the biases inherent in the Fajr Festival some prominent directors asked the secretary of the festival to remove their own films from the judging list: Kamal Tabrizi, the director of the bestselling film Marmoulak (The Lizard, 2004), Reza Mirkarimi, director of Be Hamin Sadegi (As Simple as That, 2008) and Maziar Miri, the director of Padash-e Sokout (The Prize of Silence, 2007) were among the directors who asked for their new films to be removed from the judging list. Reza Mirkarimi, whose films have always received accolades during previous festivals, spoke about his disillusionment with the festival and his lack of respect for the grand prize, the Crystal Simorgh: “To be quite honest, I have lost my motives for taking part in the competition section of the festival. It is not because I do not wish to win the prize, it is because the Fajr Festival has unfortunately strayed from its professional and neutral path and this is discouraging filmmakers from taking part in the competition. Therefore, it is really not important for me to win a prize from such a festival.”40 The Crystal Simorgh trophy is the Iranian equivalent to the Oscar award, with multiple prizes being presented at each annual Fajr Film Festival for various aspects of cinema production, film music and acting. The money given in conjunction with the prizes varies from year to year and is decided by governmental authorities. Some films, like Behrouz Afkhami’s Farzand-e Sobh (lit. “the son of dawn”), a film about Khomeini’s life, disappointed both friend and foe during this year’s Fajr Film Festival. Afkhami is a well known director who has produced popular films such as 40. Khabar Online, "Fajr Festival Has Strayed From its Professional Path," Khabar Online, February 8, 2011, http://www.khabaronline.ir/news-129001. aspx.
Cultural Censorship in Iran
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