Iran cancels ceremony for Oscar winner

A semiofficial Iranian news agency reports that a ceremony in honor of Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi has been canceled after failing to receive official permission. The Monday report by ILNA says two Iranian cinema groups issued a statement saying ``cultural custodians\'\' did not allow the ceremony to be held. The report says officials apparently did not issue a permit for the event. It did not elaborate. Iranian officials have praised Farhadi whose movie, ``A Separation,\'\' won the Oscar for best foreign film last month. But some conservatives were upset with the film\'s themes: domestic turmoil, gender inequality and the desire by many Iranians to leave the country./-