War risks choking Iran's world-beating cinema, warn directors

Independent filmmakers in Iran face a fresh wave of repression and extreme economic hardship because of the war, risking choking off a mainstay of world cinema, industry insiders say. Despite heavy censorship and regular prosecutions, acclaimed directors from Asghar Farhadi, Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasoulof have been winning Oscars and heaps of awards at top European festivals for years with their movies about life in the Islamic republic.