TEHRAN -- An official of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said on Wednesday that new software has increased the capability of the IRIB for censoring of foreign films.

Ali Ramezani, who is charge of providing foreign films and programs for Iranian TV, told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency that new precision software has been acquired since 2008, enabling them ‘to better correct’ foreign films.
“Afterwards, the films face fewer cuts,” he added.
Those scenes depicting that which is forbidden in Iran such as alcoholic drinks, or film characters in skimpy dress were previously cut by the IRIB prior to broadcast.
Nowadays, they use the new software to erase the forbidden items or to cover the bodies of female characters in foreign films purchased for broadcast on Iranian TV.
In addition, love scenes are entirely cut from foreign films and TV series. Sometimes, the plots of films are deeply damaged by the changes made in adapting the productions for viewing in Iran.
Ramezani said that at least 75 minutes out of a 90-minute purchased film must meet Iranian TV’s moral and religious standards for broadcast. Otherwise, it will not be aired on Iranian TV.
Iranians prefer to watch the unedited bootleg versions of foreign movies and TV series on their home TV sets and the Iranian black market does a good job of satisfying the demand for these.
Bootlegging of foreign movies and TV series has become a moneymaking business on the Iranian black market, where high quality DVD copies of the productions are offered at very reasonable prices.