American Movie Crew Visiting Iran Says Country is Different from What Media Portrays

(TEHRAN, Iran) - President of the American Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sid Ganis says Iran is very different from what the US mainstream portrays.

Ganis visited Iran along with American actresses Annette Bening and Alfre Woodard, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Frank Pierson, producer William Horberg and Phil Alden Robinson in early March.

“Our entire group was somewhat surprised to see how different Iranian life is, the way people live it on a daily basis, from the usual depictions we see in the media, especially the news media,” said Ganis in an interview with Foreign Policy Journal.

“Iranians are very sophisticated, educated and culturally literate people and they have access to far more western media and technology than any of us had realized.” He said.

“We traveled freely around Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan and we didn't see any signs of political demonstrations or speech directed against Americans.”

Ganis also referred to the unexpected hospitality of Iranians saying that they “were met with an incredibly warm and hospitable welcome by the filmmakers of Iran, and the people in general.”

The 69-year-old producer described his visit as a great opportunity to learn about Iranian culture and the ancient Persian civilization.

“The opportunity to go on this trip has given me an incredible opportunity to study this ancient country and its people.”

“Iran has been so difficult to visit for Americans, and there are so many preconceptions about it, that it's hard to get an accurate picture without actually going there yourself.”

The Hollywood delegation attended seminars and workshops on screenwriting, directing, acting, documentary filmmaking, production, and film marketing and distribution.

The group also visited Iran's Cinema Museum and attended a press conference at the House of Cinema during their stay in the country.

Sidney Ganis is an American motion picture executive and producer who has produced such films as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, The Master of Disguise and Akeelah and the Bee.

On August 23, 2005 he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Furthermore, he also serves on the board of directors of Marvel Entertainment.

Ganis, a native of Brooklyn, New York, began his film career in marketing and publicity at several studios, eventually joining Lucasfilm, where he served as Senior Vice President of the company for several years. He later became President of Paramount Pictures during the 1980s, and then Vice President, and president of marketing and distribution, at Columbia Pictures.

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Titus May 10, 2009 12:12 pm (Pacific time)

gp are you familiar with Saddam's rape and torture rooms that existed not just in Baghdad, but all over Iraq? Have you even talked to those who came here to the states that talked about the brutal regime of Saddam and his two sons?

Editor: Titus, it is a fact that Saddam Hussein was a real SOB, there's no question about it. I'm also not going to disagree with the possibility that he had places to abuse and torture people throughout the country. One of his sons had a particular propensity to commit those acts on a sexual level, the other wasn't exactly like that. But here's the other side of it; for all the reports and all the media hype, I didn't meet people in Iraq, except for maybe in Al Dujayl, who lived in daily fear of this dictator. They know that he had the potential to crush them, but Saddam wasn't out harassing the farmers and poor people of Iraq. They talk about how women were recognized and allowed to rise very far in professional roles, and how their nation and their lives have been totally hammered by the U.S. occupation. They talk about local women who weren't able to deliver their babies in hospitals because of Amercan curfews and nighttime road blockades. I just fear that the people who are extremely critical of the way this guy ran his country fail to mention all of the good aspects; Iraq was a highly developed nation until the U.S. smashed it to pieces. Honestly, the damage from our bombs is actually a lot more visible in Kabul than Baghdad, but still the fallout from our military effort is widespread. So, there is no question that Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, and there is also no question that Iraq is in much, much worse shape because of the U.S. invasion. I think invading Iran which is not deserving of any military action would be the end of life as we know it. Maybe that's what the warmongers want, I'm not sure what their goals are. I just know that if we as a nation owe Iran anything, it would be an apology.

gp May 10, 2009 7:49 am (Pacific time)

And the sad truth is that the lovely city of Bagdad could have been described in these terms prior to the American attack initiated by the Bushes.

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