Culture News on Swedish Radio was the first to report on the verdict against actress and director Maryam Moghaddam and her husband Behtash Sanaeeha. They have also been fined and their film equipment has been confiscated, Maryam Moghaddam tells TT when reached in Iran.
The verdict is valid for five years and is conditional. But exactly what that means, she doesn't know yet.
We received the verdict three days ago and have a few days to decide whether to appeal or go there to get it explained to us, she says, and explains that the couple will miss out on a small reduction in sentence if they choose to appeal.
"Illegal to show reality"
There's a lot we don't know, nor how much we're being monitored.
Together with her husband Behtash Sanaeeha, she has written and directed the comedy "A Little Piece of Cake" which is about a 70-year-old Iranian widow. The film shows the woman at home, without a veil, and portrays her loneliness and longing for love.
With the film, they are considered to have committed "propaganda against the system, spreading false information, and creating anxiety among the public", Maryam Moghaddam explains.
Showing reality is illegal, we're not allowed to show who we are. We have to be the same when we're out on the streets.
To Sweden as a three-year-old
Maryam Moghaddam came to Sweden as a three-year-old and has previously done theater roles at both Backa Theater and Gothenburg City Theater. When she was going to travel to Stockholm last fall for the Swedish premiere of "A Little Piece of Cake", the military police confiscated her Swedish passport, reported Gothenburg-Posten.
Now she doesn't know what to do if she can't film.
No idea, we'll have to think about that later. There's so much to think about right now.
