Laleh Marzban, who won Best Actress in Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar, has become the subject of a harsh smear campaign by Islamic Republic state media over comments in her acceptance speech dedicating the prize to the women of Iran.
One TV station channel, aligned with the Basij, the paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accused Marzban of turning her back on Iran, while other Islamic Regime-backed channels have accused her of treason and suggested the Ministry of Culture should ban her from returning to Iran.
The Iranian actress Marzban was feted for her performance
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