In 2010, the Iranian government deemed Panahi's work anti-government propaganda and imposed a 20-year ban on his filmmaking. Panahi, however, carefully circumvented the ban in 2011 with his "This is Not a Film" (a nod to Magritte's "This is Not a Pipe") and followed it with "Closed Curtain," a film about a group of people being persecuted by government officials. The movie, largely considered to be a critique of the Iranian government, incensed Iranian officials after it won best screenplay at the Berlin Film Festival. Iranian cinema chief and deputy culture minister Javad Shamaqdari said, "Making these films is illegal," according to the ISNA news agency.

With passports confiscated, Partovi and Moghadam will not be able able to go abroad to promote the film, and Panahi remains under house arrest.

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Fittingly, his movie portrays a group of people trapped in a villa, evading government authorities.

"We have protested to the Berlin film festival organisers," Iranian cinema chief and deputy culture minister Javad Shamaqdari told the ISNA news agency. "We believe that the Berlin fest organisers should correct their behaviour. Everyone knows that making a film and sending it outside the country needs permission." He added that, "Making these films is illegal, but so far the Islamic republic has shown patience towards such illegal acts."

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