Rasul Sadr Ameli, who himself is a veteran film director and screenwriter, made the remarks in a press conference on Monday attended by prominent actor and head of the House of Cinema, Ali Dehkordi.
Sadr Ameli noted the last time House of Cinema celebrated the National Cinema Day Festival dates back to before the coronavirus pandemic, adding the interval is due to the ‘unfair’ situation created over the absence of old-timers in cinema over their legal challenges.
He said the festival will not be held until those excluded from cinema will return back to the fold.
On a promising note, he said the newly-designated Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi has pledged he would take immediate measures to resolve the issue through the ministry’s legal team.
The Iranian judiciary has yet to comment on this.