Iran`s Culture Ministry asked to drop lawsuit against IHC

TEHRAN,Jan.3(MNA) -- Members of the High Council for Cinema proposed that the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance drop its lawsuit against the Iranian House of Cinema (IHC). The Culture Ministry has accused the IHC of making some amendments to its charter without informing the Iran Public Culture Council (IPCC) about the changes. The proposal was discussed during a meeting of the High Council for Cinema (HCC) on Saturday, HCC member Alireza Sajjadpur told on Sunday. “It was welcomed by Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari, and the members agreed that the final decision would be taken by the culture minister,” he added. A number official Persian news websites announced quoting another HCC member, Ahmad Najafi, that the HCC disbanded the IHC during the meeting. However, he denied the report on Sunday and said, “Nothing was discussed about disbanding the IHC during the meeting.” “The council is not empowered to do so at all,” he added. Due to the unannounced amendments to IHC’s charter, the Iran Public Culture Council ruled the IHC was illegal last week. The IHC managing director and several members of its Board of Directors would attend a court hearing on January 11 if the Culture Ministry refuses to drop the lawsuit. The IHC announced in a statement early last week that it won’t collaborate with the Culture Ministry in organizing the Fajr International Film Festival, if the legal issues raised by the ministry are not settled. Some semi-official news websites deemed the statement a call for boycotting the festival, which is considered to be Iran’s most important cinematic event.