Iran president mulling Stone film request
CAIRO — Filmmaker Oliver Stone, who has chronicled the lives of Richard Nixon and Alexander the Great, has requested permission to make a documentary about controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an Iranian news agency reported Friday.
Iranian filmmaker Ali Reza Sajjadpour, who also serves as an official at Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, told the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency that the president received the request to make the film several months ago. Obtaining permits for documentary film projects is a lengthy process in Iran, and Sajjadpour said Ahmadinejad was considering Stone’s request.
“Stone is a professional filmmaker on social and political issues,” said Sajjadpour, praising the Oscar-winner for opposing U.S. foreign policy.
Stone directed the 2003 documentary “Comandante,” about Cuban leader Fidel Castro, another controversial anti-American leader of a developing country. But many Iranians found his depiction of Persians in the 2004 “Alexander” offensive.
--
Borzou Daragahi
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
