Javad Shamaqdari

Who is Javad Shamaqdari?

Javad Shamaqdari is an Iranian filmmaker and "deputy culture minister of film" to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has attacked the film 300 as psychological warfare and accused American 'cultural authorities' and Hollywood of attacking Iranian culture.

He has since rebuffed American film director Oliver Stone's offer to make a film about President Ahmadinejad, saying Iran would only allow it if an Iranian director was allowed to make a film about George W. Bush. Like 300, Stone's 2004 biopic Alexander was controversial in Iran for its depictions of ancient Persians.

In April 2012, he responded to "What Must Be Said" with a letter to Günter Grass: "I have read your literary work, highly responsible both from a human and historical point of view, and I found it extremely timely. Telling the truth in such a way may truly awaken the west's silent and dormant conscience".