Iranian Filmmaker Presents Secret Film At Cannes

Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof

An Iranian director sentenced to prison in 2010 for antigovernment propaganda has appeared at the Cannes film festival for the screening of a new film about censorship, which he shot in secret in Iran.

The circumstances of Mohammad Rasoulof's visit to Cannes on May 24 and the location where he now lives remain strictly confidential.

He was arrested with fellow director Jafar Panahi after they tried to make a documentary on the unrest that followed the disputed 2009 reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Rasolouf was jailed for six years for acting against national security and antiregime propaganda, he was also banned from making films for 20 years.

The sentence was reduced to one year on appeal.

Because of Iranian censorship, his new film, "Manuscripts Don't Burn", has no credits.

It received a standing ovation at a press screening in Cannes on May 24.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP