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Martin Scorsese has lent his support to an Iranian director who has been jailed for screening a film at the Cannes Film Festival without government permission.
Saeed Roustaee, who premiered Leila’s Brothers at the French festival in 2022, was reportedly sentenced to six months in prison by an Iranian court.
Festival organisers said it was “a serious violation of free speech”.
Scorsese shared a petition calling for “justice” for Roustaee and the film’s producer Javad Noruzbegi.
According to Iranian media, the pair were convicted of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system”.