TEHRAN -- Lebanon’s General Security has banned screening of “Green Days”, a documentary on opposition demonstrations that challenged Iran’s 2009 presidential election results.

The film directed by exiled Iranian filmmaker Hana Makhmalbaf was scheduled to be screened later this week with four other films during a program entitled “Forbidden Films”, The Daily Star reported on Tuesday.
The five films had been crossed out from the schedules by Lebanese authorities at the last two editions of the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF).
All five films had previously received the General Security’s permit for screening, BIFF director Colette Naufal said.
About 10 days ago, the General Security asked Naufal to send them a “Green Days” DVD in order to reconsider their decision to issue the permit for the film.
“I got the okay. Then this morning I’m told the permit was withdrawn,” Naufal said on Tuesday.
“We have to find out who makes the decisions… We need to find out who is the power who makes these decisions, and we’d like to know why they have this power and what is the legality of all this?” she added.
The decision to ban the film came following an appeal by the Iranian ambassador, a high-ranking official in Lebanon’s former government, who asked not to be identified, told AFP.
“Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi informed Lebanese authorities that screening the film would be considered an attack on Iranian sovereignty and requested it be banned,” the official said.
Lebanon also banned “Green Days” at BIFF last October, which coincided with a visit to Beirut by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.