Golden Bear winner pirated too
Illegal copies of the acclaimed Iranian film “Nader and Simin, a Separation” have recently been seen in Tehran’s black market, while the film is still on screen at Iranian movie theaters.
Bootleggers have been selling the illegal copies of the film for the past three days, the director of Filmiran, the Iranian distributer of the film, announced on Saturday.
The pirated copy, which has been recorded from a screen at a movie theater, is of very poor quality, Filmiran Director Ali Sartipi told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency.
He said that a large part of the beginning of the film has been cut.
“It’s not clear how much the piracy would impact on the film’s box office receipt,” Sartipi stated.
A portrayal of the break-up of a marriage, “Nader and Simin” won a Golden Bear for best picture at the Berlin film festival this year. In addition, its cast ensemble received best actor and actress Silver Bears at the event.
“Nader and Simin” and “The Outcasts 3”, a political comedy mocking the rivals of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 2009 presidential election, began premiering in Iran on March 22.
“The Outcasts 3” had previously been pirated as a very poor quality copy of the film was put on the Balatarin website.
The film’s subject provoked an opposition call for boycotting the film on certain Internet websites. They asked moviegoers to watch “Nader and Simin” instead.
Photo: Sareh Bayat in a scene from “Nader and Simina, a Separation”
Source: tehrantimes.com
