| NIAC protests upcoming film depicting Iranian-American ‘honor killing’ |
| Written by Emily Blout | |
| Monday, 14 May 2007 | |
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Written in the tradition of "Crash," the film follows the stories of several characters from different immigrant communities as they strive to "cross over" from illegal residency to documented citizenship. Harrison Ford is playing the lead role of Max Brogan, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. His partner, Hamid Baraheri, played by Cliff Curtis, is a naturalized Iranian-American citizen. The star-studded ensemble cast also features Sean Penn, Ashley Judd, and Ray Liotta. At issue is the murder-mystery storyline in which an Iranian-American male murders his sister and her lover on the eve of their father's naturalization ceremony. The killer, along with his co-conspiratorial brother and father, identify the redemption of ‘honor' as the motive for this horrific crime. Legally sanctioned in various nations in South East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, honor killing is a serious human rights issue that must be addressed. However, it is not a phenomenon common in Iran or in Iranian culture. According to both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, there is no statistical evidence of honor killings occurring in Iran. In Tehran, which houses over 1/6 of the population, or about 12 million people, the practice is nonexistent. Indeed, honor killing has no roots in Iranian culture and is unheard of in the Iranian-American community. There has never been a reported honor killing committed by an Iranian-American in the U.S. or any where else in the world. NIAC has contacted the Kramer and the Weinstein Company, which is bankrolling the film, with its objections to the portrayal. In its letter to Kramer, which was sent yesterday, NIAC called the depiction of Iranian-Americans committing an honor killing "unfounded and potentially harmful." The letter also makes suggestions on how the script of the movie can be amended to resolve this issue. In addition, NIAC has discussed its concerns with some of the actors in the movie. NIAC received information on the potentially inflammatory and disingenuous representation of Iranian-Americans from a member of the community who is close to the business. A pdf version of NIAC's letter to Wayne Kramer and the Weinstein Company is available here. |
Washington DC - A new major motion picture slated for release this fall will feature an Iranian-American family involved in an ‘honor killing’ in Los Angeles, NIAC has learned. The film, entitled Crossing Over, is written and directed by Wayne Kramer and chronicles the struggles of immigrants in America.
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