My Visa Refusal Response

I figured that I might as well respond to this...not that it may do any good, but what could it hurt?

This was kindly picked up by Mr. Eftekhari at the Mehr News Agency, the official news agency of Iran and published in both Farsi and English, as well as was published in the Tehran Times.


In November of 2006, President Ahmedinejad published his address to the American people. He stated, “While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together.” It is unfortunate that the Iranian Foreign Ministry does not share his view and have refused our request for visas.

I can understand the frustration regarding the press restrictions imposed on President Ahmedinejad when he visited the US. As free speech is valued in my country and a right granted to its citizens, personally I do not see any reason why it should be an issue for a visiting President. However, I am a private citizen, not a member of my country’s government, nor it’s military or affiliated with a press organization. I have no direct input into government policies, just the same as a private citizen in Iran would have regarding their government’s policies.

It is precisely this frustration we are trying to address. There is so little information available to the West about Iran, and virtually no positive information. It is easy to be angry and frustrated about this, the difficult part is to take responsibility and do something positive to change the situation.

This year, the Iranian people will cast their vote for their President. As Mr. Shamaqdari rightly stated, We the People of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be done to show how democracy works in Iran and how the Iranian people get involved. We are not interested in who wins, but rather what is the process. I don’t see how this could be anything but a positive portrayal of Iran and it’s people, not a sensational one.

I was invited to come to Iran and I take that very seriously. Mr. Shamaqdari and Mr. Eslamloo have both been supportive and generous with their time and information. The Iranian friends and associates I have in the UAE and US all have this quality, they are an open, generous people. We all need to work to promote understanding between different cultures. However this is virtually impossible unless different cultures are allowed to learn more about each other. It is very easy to fear something you don’t understand and prejudice against a religion, race or culture, starts with fear.

I would hope that after some reflection, the Iranian Foreign Ministry would realize that our goal is to be supportive and interested in their democratic process, not negative and that they reverse their decision regarding our coming to Iran to film.

The Latest From Iran

Well it seems that while one faction of the Govt. approved my going to Iran, the Foreign Ministry said NO.

I have been told that this can be over turned...so I am still waiting and fortunately the Cultural advisor Javad Shamaqdari is in my corner. Patience is needed when dealing with such issues! I am interested to hear that there is a group from Hollywood visiting Iran now (not filming however!) The posted articles are from Iranian site Press TV.


Iran denies US director Nickelson visa? Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:25:24 GMT

American documentary maker and head of the UAE-based Mirage Holdings Michelle Nickelson has been refused an entry visa into Iran.

Nickelson and her LA crew had obtained permits from the Iranian government to visit the country and make a documentary about its upcoming presidential election. Iran's Foreign Ministry has however denied the American documentary maker and her team entrance to the country.

“Unfortunately the visa denial has delayed Ms. Nickelson's visit to Iran,” film producer Mohammad-Reza Eslamlou told Fars News Agency.

Eslamlou, who was to contribute to the project, criticized the Foreign Ministry's decision saying that the American filmmaker only intended to bridge the gap between Iranians and Americans.

“I wonder why hostile foreign news agencies are allowed to freely make films in Iran and arrange interviews with high-ranking officials but Ms. Nickelson who wants to portray democracy in our country is not welcome,” said Eslamlou.

Michelle Nickelson's We the People of the Islamic Republic of Iran was to explore the election process in Iran.

"We want to interview a broad representation of people living there and how it feels for them in the run-up to the upcoming presidential election," Nickelson said in a 2008 interview.

"Most Americans don't realize that, in addition to the Shia, there is also a Jewish and Christian community in Iran and they have representation in the government," she said. TE/HGH


US producer to film Iran elections Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:22:31 GMT

An Iranian woman casts her ballot.Head of the UAE based Mirage Holdings Michelle Nickelson is slated to make a documentary on Iran's upcoming presidential election.

We the People of the Islamic Republic of Iran will explore the election process in the country. "We want to interview a broad representation of people living there and how it feels for them in the run-up to next summer's presidential election," Nickelson said.

"Most Americans don't realize that, in addition to the Shi'ah, there is also a Jewish and Christian community in Iran and they have representation in the government," she added.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Nickelson and her LA crew have obtained permits from the Iranian government to visit the country next year and scout for locations as well as finding interviewees.

This is while the cultural adviser to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Javad Shamaqdari has announced that Nickelson's documentary will portray democracy in Iran and is not intended as an election advertisement for the incumbent president. TE/HGH