CANNES FILM FESTIVAL - CONTROVERSIAL IRANIAN FILM TO CLOSE N.Y. FILM FESTIVAL

The Iranian animated film Persepolis, which tied for the Cannes Film Festival's Jury Award last May despite protests from the Iranian government, but was yanked from last month's Bangkok Film Festival following similar protests by Iranian officials, has been scheduled to close the New York Film Festival on October 14, organizers said Wednesday. They did not indicate whether they had heard from Iranian representatives. The film by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, about a girl growing up in Iran following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, is due to be released in the U.S. by Sony Classics at the end of the year, with the voices of the leading animated characters provided by Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands and Iggy Pop.

16/08/2007