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Last update - 16:43 01/03/2009
Iran official: U.S. artists must apologize for offensive films
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israel News, Cinema 

The artistic adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that a team of visiting Hollywood actors and members of the movie industry should apologize for films deemed insulting to many in Iran.

Javad Shamaqdari, the art and cinema adviser Ahmadinejad, said members of the Iranian cinema community should not meet with representatives from the nine-member team until they apologize.

"In my viewpoint, it is a failure to have an official meeting with one who is insulting," Shamaqdari said.
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The group includes the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sid Ganis; actors Bening, and Alfre Woodard; producer William Horberg; AMPAS Special Events Programmer and Exhibitions Curator Ellen Harrington; and Tom Pollock, the former Universal Pictures chairman.

According to the Web site of Iran's Cinema Association, the group arrived Friday in Iran. They met a group of Iranian artists on Saturday, and will be holding educational seminars in directing, screenwriting, acting, producing, marketing and film distribution.

The film '300,' which portrays the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which a force of 300 Spartans held off a massive Persian army at a mountain pass in Greece for three days, angered many Iranians for the way Persians are depicted as decadent, sexually flamboyant and evil in contrast to the noble Greeks.

Iranians also criticized 'The Wrestler' starring Mickey Rourke as a rundown professional wrestler who is preparing for a rematch with his old nemesis, The Ayatollah. During a fight scene, The Ayatollah tries to choke Rourke with an Iranian flag before Rourke pulls the flagpole away, breaks it and throws it into the cheering crowd.

Neither movie was ever shown in Iran.
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  1.   To Iran 16:19  |  Bobby 01/03/09
  2.   iran: apologize for all the `death to america` chants 16:31  |  matt 01/03/09
  3.   US filmmakers must apologize... 16:33  |  MarkC 01/03/09
  4.   e apologize for them being rubbish films 16:41  |  Mike 01/03/09
  5.   Iranian Regime Sponsors US Flag Burning & Desecration ... 16:58  |  Lavi 01/03/09
  6.   The mind police 17:00  |  aes 01/03/09
  7.   Will Iran apologise for depicting USA, the West & Israel as SATAN 17:05  |  Dan 01/03/09
  8.   REALLY?? 17:08  |  Spike 01/03/09
  9.   Iranian Regime Sponsors US Flag Burning & Desecration ... 17:23  |  Lavi 01/03/09
  10.   HD 17:39  |  Snipes 01/03/09
  11.   how hypocritical 17:43  |  saul a. readner 01/03/09
  12.   #2 It`s McDonald`s not MacDonalds. 17:45  |  Airborne 01/03/09
  13.   Ahmadi`s "Artistic Advisor" 17:46  |  Persian Kitty 01/03/09
  14.   Muslims need to grow up 17:56  |  Margo 01/03/09
  15.   Speedos 18:27  |  Matthew Houston 01/03/09
  16.   Ironic considering US Flag Burning is Iran`s National Past Time 18:35  |  Baruch Gold 01/03/09
  17.   The 300 insulted them? 18:49  |  We Are Sparta 01/03/09
  18.   We don`t insult that terror-supporting regime enough! 18:54  |  Isidore Weinstein IW 01/03/09
  19.   AMERICA SHOULD APPOLOGIZE FOR ITS INSULTS 19:05  |  JOHN BROWN 01/03/09
  20.   To Lavi from Seattle 19:20  |  Javad 01/03/09
  21.   Margo 19:22  |  James 01/03/09
  22.   The persians, Hollywood and 300. 19:31  |  Al 01/03/09
  23.   300 Was Awesome! 19:32  |  Z 01/03/09
  24.   What about Tom and Jerry? 19:42  |  Sam 01/03/09
  25.   If All Persian Women Between A 7 And A 10... 19:47  |  Yosemite 01/03/09
  26.   Snipes re Your Enlightenment 20:12  |  Persian Kitty 01/03/09
  27.   The persians, Hollywood and 300. Part 2 20:12  |  Al 01/03/09
  28.   al in the uk,persians are cowards now just like they were then 20:13  |  the truth 01/03/09
  29.   matt # 2 Apology? 20:51  |  Westwell 01/03/09
  30.   Persians and Greeks 20:54  |  utagawa 01/03/09
  31.   this is funny... 21:09  |  DJ Harmony 01/03/09
  32.   Iran wants US artists to apologise 22:42  |  Bobbie 01/03/09
  33.   MULLAHS want lots of apologies.Do they really want good relations 00:45  |  PETER SM 02/03/09
  34.   Let`s apologize for every film ever produced 02:04  |  allang 02/03/09
  35.   To DJ Harmony 02:57  |  Persian Kitty 02/03/09
  36.   apology needed 05:11  |  Dariush 02/03/09
  37.   Yosemite 17:13  |  Persian Kitty 02/03/09
  38.   Al #22 18:45  |  Zionist 02/03/09
  39.   # 35 Little kitty ....... people wonder 19:12  |  allang 02/03/09
  40.   Allan G 21:30  |  Persian Kitty 02/03/09
  41.   Zionist re Your Post to Al 21:41  |  Persian Kitty 02/03/09
  42.   Allan G - Amendment 00:19  |  Persian Kitty 03/03/09
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