Iranian officials announced Tuesday that they plan to sue Hollywood over the alleged mischaracterization of their nation in the new movie, "Argo." The film, set during the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis, earned a Best Picture of the Year award at February's Oscars ceremony.
A number of media outlets report that French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, known for previously representing terrorist suspects, is in the Middle Eastern nation to discuss litigation with the Iranian government. Tehran alleges that the film is "pro-CIA propaganda" and that Iranians are portrayed as "simple" and "backward-looking."
The film follows a CIA agent, played by the film's director, Ben Affleck, as he devises an ingenious plot to rescue six escaped U.S. embassy officials during a siege of the compound by Iranians angry at the Americans' support of the then-recently deposed Shah. By misleading Iranian government officials involved in dealing with filming inside the country, Affleck's character is able to escape with the "film crew" of embassy officials who are hiding at the Canadian ambassador's residence.
Iran has not yet decided how and where to file the lawsuit.
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