Film and opera director Abbas Kiarostami earlier today in Cannes spoke out for his friend and colleague and fellow director Jafar Panahi, imprisoned in Iran since March. The reason behind his arrest, his alleged attempt to make a movie about last year's contested Iranian elections.
Reality intruded harshly on the Croisette today: it has been revealed that Panahi is now on a hunger strike, and actress Juliette Binoche could not hold back tears at the press conference. Kiarostami (who has been in the past, by the way, denied access to the US on "security reasons") called Panahi's arrest "an attack on art", and one prays that very soon Binoche's tears will not be necessary, that reason will prevail and Panahi's captors will release him before tragedy occurs, and he will be as free to walk the streets as we all are today.