TEHRAN – Oliver Stone, the American director of political films such as “Nixon”, “Comandante”, “Looking for Fidel” and “Persona Non Grata”, has claimed the CIA is trying to influence his projects.

Speaking at a workshop organized by the 36th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran on Monday, he said that the CIA is highly influential in Hollywood.

Journalists were not allowed to attend the workshop and the organizers published a Persian translation of Stone’s remarks.  

He pointed to the unprecedented video appearance of former first lady Michelle Obama from the White House in 2013, in which she opened the winning envelope to announce the Best Picture Oscar for “Argo”, the Iran hostage drama by Ben Affleck, and said this proves the close relationship between Hollywood and Washington.

In most of his films, Stone has embarrassed the U.S. government by challenging the country’s policies on various issues. However, he has never been annoyed by the U.S. government. 

Due to this fact, he said that some people in his country and even some in Iran speculate that he is a CIA agent. 

At the workshop, Stone who has made the epic four-episode documentary “The Putin Interviews” about Vladimir Putin from 2015 to 2017, also praised the Russian leader, calling him a prominent politician.  

He said that there is a negative attitude to Russia in the U.S. and Western media always use offensive language about Putin. 

In September 2011, Stone’s son, Sean, visited some officials at Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Tehran to do the groundwork for a documentary.

He returned in February 2012 to attend the 30th Fajr International Film Festival. He converted to Islam during his sojourn in Iran and chose the name Ali. 

Photo: American filmmaker Oliver Stone attends the 36th Fajr International Film Festival at Tehran’s Charsu Cineplex on April 23, 2018. (Mehr/Asghar Khamseh)

MMS/YAW