Tehran - Iranian director Jafar Panahi is upset that his film "Offside" has not yet got a screening licence in his own country despite winning awards abroad.
Panahi had sought to screen his film in the month before the World Cup opens, but is still awaiting the green signal, Mehr news agency reported.
Surprisingly, "Offside" was screened at the 24th Fajr Film Festival held in the country but it has not been able to get a screening license yet.
Panahi had apparently asked for permission to screen it after the festival and even signed a contract with FilmIran Distributing Company.
"I was hoping that the premiere would be in Iran, since I believe the Iranian audience has the right to see the films of their country before any foreign audience sees them.
"But this did not happen, and nobody knows why the screening licence of a film, which most experts had anticipated would become a box office hit if screened at the proper time, has not been issued yet," said Panahi.
Panahi's film won the Silver Bear award of the 56th International Berlin Film Festival in February and the director had quickly returned to Iran to prepare the ground for its screening.
He said: "I kept trying for many weeks, but I was only told to wait. I waited for many weeks, but still there is no clear answer."
According to him, the golden time for the screening of the film has been lost.
"I did my best to make a high-standard film for my country and have my share in Iranians' excitement in the World Cup matches," remarked Panahi.
©Indo Asian News Service
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