TEHRAN -- Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdarii visited Cannes president Gilles Jacob at the Cannes Film Market on Tuesday.

No details about the visit have been published, the Persian service of the Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Fifteen Iranian movies including Bahram Bahrampur’s “Aal”, Puran Derakhshandeh’s “Endless Dreams”, and Shahriar Bahrani’s “The Kingdom of Solomon” have been offered at the film market.
Iranian films must obtain the approval of the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for domestic and foreign premieres.
Independent Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami has participated in the Cannes competition with “Certified Copy”, which was screened at the event on Tuesday.
However, the director of the Farabi Cinematic Foundation, which is affiliated with the Culture Ministry, has doubts about calling it an Iranian film.
“If Kiarostami’s work was perfectly Iranian, we could be proud of it and be happy about its participation in international events,” Ahamd Mir-Alaii said on late April.
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was arrested in early March allegedly for making a movie about the controversial 2009 presidential election in Iran, had been invited to be a member of the Palme d’Or jury at the Cannes Film Festival, but he missed the event due to his detention.
At a press conference for his “Certified Copy”, Kiarostami made a plea for Panahi’s release.
According to AFP, Panahi has gone on a hunger strike to protest the circumstances of his detention.