Islamic Republic State Media Attacks Venice Prize-Winner Lelah Marzban Over Women’s Rights Speech

Laleh Marzban, who won Best Actress in Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar, has become the subject of a harsh smear campaign by Islamic Republic state media over comments in her acceptance speech dedicating the prize to the women of Iran.

One TV station channel, aligned with the Basij, the paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accused Marzban of turning her back on Iran, while other Islamic Regime-backed channels have accused her of treason and suggested the Ministry of Culture should ban her from returning to Iran.

The Iranian actress Marzban was feted for her performance in Mohsen Gharaei’s drama Falling House (Mogareb), revolving around three generations of women in an economically fragile family, living under the thumb of the prison guard father.

Marzban plays the lead female role of the oldest daughter who the father locks-up on discovering her plans to leave Iran to pursue dreams of becoming a model, appearing on screen both with and without a hijab.

The film’s director Gharaei told Deadline prior its world premiere in Venice that he had written the first draft in 2018 but that the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests had given him fresh impetus to get the production off the ground.

Sparked by the death in police custody on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest for not wearing her hijab correctly, the protests saw hundreds of thousands of Iranian women and men take to the streets in Iran to call for an end to the draconian Islamic Republic rules around female dress codes and conduct.

At the Venice Film Festival awards ceremony on Saturday evening, a tearful Marzban acknowledged that Iran and its people were going through “the hardest days” and dedicated her award to all Iranian women.

“I dedicate my award to the women of my country who have paid the highest price for the smallest freedoms,” she said. “These women today carry dreams, courage and hope, and I believe that one day the wish of all of us will come true.”

Iranian actress Zhila Sadeghi, who is known for her affiliation with Republic of Iran’s state broadcaster (IRIB), attacked Marzban for not dedicating her speech rather to the children killed in a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab on the February 28.

She said that Marzban had betrayed Iran, adding “curse the ones who let you have a role in a film ever again”.

Marzban, whose credits include the 2023 Iranian Oscar submission The Night Guardian, has never been at odds with the Islamic Regime before.

Her appearance in Falling House and at the awards ceremony without a hijab is a direct challenge to Islamic Republic rules requiring women to cover their hair.

Marzban was asked by Deadline at the Venice Orizzonti winners press conference how she thought the film would be received in Iran given that it challenged the government and its patriarchal system.

“This question is very important for me as an actress, and as all other women in Iran, whether they be doctors, artists, whatever profession women can perform, we can only make one step at the time, one step towards our objective,’ she said.

“If we give our small contribution, maybe we will reach our objective. I have made my small part. I have given my contribution. I really hope many other people can make small steps towards our common objective.”