Iran Threatens "Argo" with Lawsuit

Can a country sue a film? Apparently.

Iran is working on a lawsuit against Hollywood and the Oscar-winning film “Argo” due to the movie’s “unrealistic portrayal” of Iran.

French lawyer Isabelle Countant-Peyre is visiting Iran and currently in talks with Iranian officials over how (and more importantly, where) to file this lawsuit.

Though “Argo” was banned from being shown in any Iranian theaters, many citizens have seen it via bootleg DVDs and pirated copies, which set off a generation divide and several debates. The younger generations enjoyed the politically different viewpoint of the events that happened, while the generation that lived through it called it distorted.

“Argo” recounts the actual events that transpired in 1979, when the U.S. Embassy is attacked and over 50 Americans were taken hostage. However, 6 managed to avoid capture and were sheltered in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Using the cover of location scouting for a film, the US and Canadians managed to rescue these 6.

Iranian Cultural Officials and various movie critics screened the film in private, at a gathering called “The Hoax of Hollywood”. During the meeting, they discussed the legal hurdles they’d have to face in order to file a lawsuit. And who to target.

The members of the gathering called “Argo” a “violation of international cultural norms”, and a piece of anti-Iranian propaganda.

However, no one is really certain what charges Iran can file, and who they can file them to. Or what they are hoping to achieve.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time that Iran has felt violated by Hollywood portrayals. They demanded apologizes for films such as “300”, “The Wrestler”, and “Not Without My Daughter”, all of which allegedly painted Iranians are barbaric, fanatical, and misogynistic.

Hopefully they can work things out. No word from the studios about this situation yet.