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"There are only two ways of escaping censorship," he said. "Making films abroad or pressuring the Iranian authorities by talking about censorship."
The head of the filmfest Martine Therouanne said it was a paradox that Tehran "does not want Iranians seeing their films, but do not mind Westerners discovering Iran through these same films."
With Makhmalbaf was his wife Marziyeh Meshkini, also a film-maker, and prizewinning daughter-directors, Samira and Hana, all of whom have had movies shown at top European arthouse film festivals, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and San Sebastian.
In Iran, said the director, "sex, violence and politics are censored, which is why film-makers have tried to develop a new school, the poetic style," which he said was close to the human condition.
There was little hope, he added, of change for Iran's treasured film industry from next June's electoral challenge by former pro-reform president Mohammad Khatami against incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"The president is only the second top figure in Iran, the first being the supreme guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Everything depends on him."
Like other of the country's directors who have made Iranian cinema famous -- Abbas Kiarostami or Abolfazl Gialdili -- the entire Makhmalbaf clan has been hit by the censors.
"My family's movies have been seen in some 50 countries but are censored in our land," said Makhmalbaf, who reckons a score of his scripts have been censored in the last five years.
Censorship, said the family, had changed their lives, forced them to wander the planet.
"You can't even say I live in Iran" said 19-year-old Hana Makhmalbaf. "I spent a year in Afghanistan shooting my last film ("Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame") and then travelled across the world to show it."
Marziyeh Meshkini said that "the same way there are doctors without borders, there are artists without borders."
At the Vesoul festival, Hana Makhmalbaf presented her "Buddha", which won a Crystal Bear at the Berlin film festival but is banned in Iran.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf notably premiered in France his 2005 work "Sex and philosophy" (2005), also banned in Iran.
His wife Marziyeh Meshkini showed her 2004 "Stray Dogs", which won a prize at the Venice film festival but too is banned in Iran.
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Image of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, from AFP.
The head of the filmfest Martine Therouanne said it was a paradox that Tehran "does not want Iranians seeing their films, but do not mind Westerners discovering Iran through these same films."
With Makhmalbaf was his wife Marziyeh Meshkini, also a film-maker, and prizewinning daughter-directors, Samira and Hana, all of whom have had movies shown at top European arthouse film festivals, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and San Sebastian.
In Iran, said the director, "sex, violence and politics are censored, which is why film-makers have tried to develop a new school, the poetic style," which he said was close to the human condition.
There was little hope, he added, of change for Iran's treasured film industry from next June's electoral challenge by former pro-reform president Mohammad Khatami against incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"The president is only the second top figure in Iran, the first being the supreme guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Everything depends on him."
Like other of the country's directors who have made Iranian cinema famous -- Abbas Kiarostami or Abolfazl Gialdili -- the entire Makhmalbaf clan has been hit by the censors.
"My family's movies have been seen in some 50 countries but are censored in our land," said Makhmalbaf, who reckons a score of his scripts have been censored in the last five years.
Censorship, said the family, had changed their lives, forced them to wander the planet.
"You can't even say I live in Iran" said 19-year-old Hana Makhmalbaf. "I spent a year in Afghanistan shooting my last film ("Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame") and then travelled across the world to show it."
Marziyeh Meshkini said that "the same way there are doctors without borders, there are artists without borders."
At the Vesoul festival, Hana Makhmalbaf presented her "Buddha", which won a Crystal Bear at the Berlin film festival but is banned in Iran.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf notably premiered in France his 2005 work "Sex and philosophy" (2005), also banned in Iran.
His wife Marziyeh Meshkini showed her 2004 "Stray Dogs", which won a prize at the Venice film festival but too is banned in Iran.
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Image of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, from AFP.
