The cancellation of the January event, which was to be the first major screening of Iranium in Canada, infuriated Canadian ministers and citizens, who viewed it as an affront to their freedom of speech.
Canada's Heritage Minister James Moore stated that he would not allow the Iranian Embassy to "dictate what films will, and will not be shown in Canada." Moore also demanded that the screening be rescheduled at the federal building.
"We will not be moving to a different facility," Moore stated.
Clare Lopez, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and an Iranium interviewee, was set to keynote at the January event. She will return to Ottawa on February 6 to speak at the screening."Canada is defending its freedom of speech from the oppressive Iranian regime," said Alex Traiman, Director of Iranium. "The Iranian government constantly stifles free speech inside Iran. I am glad they will not get away with attempts to do the same in North America."
Iranium documents the statements and actions of Iranian leaders since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, including the buildup of Iran's nuclear program, through the Presidential Elections of 2009.
The film is premiering at select AMC theaters and community centers across the US on February 8, with an exclusive screening on Capitol Hill, hosted by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA).
The film will also be available for free online streaming to the first 50,000 registrants at http://www.iraniumthemovie.com.
Narrated by Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award Winning Iranian actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo, the film utilizes rare footage of Iranian leaders, and interviews with 25 leading politicians, Iranian dissidents, and experts on: Middle East policy, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation.
SOURCE IraniumTheMovie.com
