Iran's culture officials question actors' high pay
Last Updated: Sunday, November 8, 2009 | 8:26 PM ET
CBC News
Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry has threatened a tax crackdown on actors after it became known how much one was paid for only three days of work.
Mohammad Reza Golzar, one of the Iran's biggest stars, was paid about $99,000 for work in Democracy in Bright Daylight, according to an article in Britain's Guardian newspaper.
This prompted film critic Reza Ostadi to read out a list of 27 highly paid actors on a television program in Iran recently. The pay ran up to $107,000 per film.
As a result, the country's directors and producers joined Ostadi in condemning what they say are soaring salaries being demanding by the country's actors. They say such payouts are much too high for a local industry that is nowhere near as wealthy as that of Hollywood.
The outcry has Ali-Reza Sajadpour, the cinema authority within the Culture Ministry, warning that he will be taking a closer look at actors' salaries.
Fees compensate for short, unstable career
"These uncommon fees have caused dissatisfaction in the cinema community and increase the cost of film production, which is not in line with our policies for promoting cinema and rising movie sales," he told the Guardian.
Actors have rebutted by claiming that the rewards are adequate compensation for a career that is both short-lived and unstable in nature.
The controversy marks another setback for Iran's movie industry, which has faced restrictions under the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Some of the country's most acclaimed directors have been denied permission to screen their works abroad.
Actor Golshifteh Farahani was prevented from leaving the country last year to promote the Hollywood film, Body of Lies, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which she had appeared in.
