Iranian actress censured by authorities for kissing Cannes festival president

Leila Hatami was filmed by the Canal+ television network on the red carpet at Cannes just as she was planting a kiss on the cheek of Gilles Jacob.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Jury member actress Leila Hatami attends a news conference before the opening of the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, May 14, 2014. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Jury member actress Leila Hatami attends a news conference before the opening of the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, May 14, 2014.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
An internationally renowned Iranian actress is in trouble with authorities in the Islamic Republic after she was photographed kissing the president of the Cannes Film Festival which she attended last week, AFP reported on Monday.
According to the French news wire service AFP, Leila Hatami, who gained fame for her role in the 2012 Oscar-winning film “A Separation, was filmed by the Canal+ television network on the red carpet at Cannes just as she was planting a kiss on the cheek of Gilles Jacob.
Iran’s state-run media took notice of the picture, calling it an affront to the “chastity” of Iranian women, AFP reported.
“Those who attend intentional events should take heed of the credibility and chastity of Iranians, so that a bad image of Iranian women will not be demonstrated to the world,” Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi was quoted by the website of state broadcaster IRIB.
"[The] Iranian woman is the symbol of chastity and innocence," he said. Hatami's "inappropriate presence" at the festival was "not in line with our religious beliefs.”
Sharia law in Iran forbids women to have physical contact with a man outside of her marriage.