IRIB will lift ban on “Ancient Land” after modification: Iranian official

TEHRAN,Apr.23(MNA) -- The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) will lift the ban on “Ancient Land” after some modifications are made to the docudrama, IRIB Deputy Director Ali Darabi said on Tuesday. Directed by Kamal Tabrizi, the series is about historical events that occurred in Iran in the aftermath of the Allied occupation of the country during World War II. IRIB’s Channel 3 began broadcasting the series in early January. However, the IRIB stopped broadcasting the docudrama in early February following a protest from large groups of Bakhtiaris in several cities in southwestern Iran. They claimed the series insulted Bakhtiaris by linking a Bakhtiari family to the Iranian monarchy and calling them British occupiers’ agents. “Officials from Channel 3 and members of the production team of ‘Ancient Land’ are scheduled to hold sessions in the near future to decide about the modifications of the series,” Darabi told the Persian service of MNA. Tabrizi previously said, “Making a judgment about the good and bad characters of the series requires patience and time.” Tabrizi and a number of his colleagues also wrote a letter to IRIB Managing Director Ezzatollah Zarghami, briefing him on the story of the TV series. “Undoubtedly, the producers of the serial meant no disrespect to the honorable Bakhtiari people. The coming episodes of the series will prove this fact. However, we offer our apologies if any of the early parts of the serial caused harm to our Bakhtiari compatriots,” they said.