Iran gives green light to “9/11 Black Box”

TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (MNA) -- The Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has granted a production license to a film entitled “The 9/11 Black Box”.

The film will be produced and directed by Mohammadreza Eslamlu, the Culture Ministry Supervision and Evaluation Office announced in a press release on Monday.

No more details were given about the film in the press release.

However, the film’s title obviously refers to the term of ‘9/11 black box’, which has frequently been used by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the past week, including in his latest speech at the UN headquarters in New York.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Eslamlu, 63, is a close friend of Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari.

He has previously made “Human Rights”, an anti-Israeli documentary.

Eslamlu had been assigned by Shamaqdari to accompany American cineaste Michelle Nickelson in “We the People of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, a documentary about the June 2009 presidential election in Iran.

However, the documentary was never made because of post-election unrest in Iran.

Eslamlu’s other credits include “Seyyed’s Garden” and “Over Faw”, both about the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

It is usually a lengthy process to get the Culture Ministry’s approval for producing a film, but it seems that the film’s theme and Eslamlu’s friendship with cultural officials have acted as catalyst.

A screenplay must be approved by the Culture Ministry to obtain a production license in Iran.

In addition, the film’s producer must apply for a screening license from the ministry for a domestic or foreign premiere.