Days after threats of violence shut down a screening of "Iranium" at Canada's National Library and Archives, the country's Minister of Heritage James Moore vowed Thursday that the documentary film will eventually be shown.
Not only will the documentary about Iran's nuclear ambitions screen, but Moore said the event will take place at the archives as originally planned.
The Iranian Embassy has been blamed by organizers for inciting the protests that forced the police to shut down the screening in the federal building. In addition the embassy reportedly sent a letter to the archives asking it to pull the screening the weekend before the event was supposed to take place.
"Canada does not accept attempts from the Iranian Embassy to dictate what films will and will not be shown in Canada," Moore said in a statement.
In addition to complaints, the archives management grew alarmed after receiving a suspicious package.
In the wake of the decision to close the screening, the Canadian government was initially criticized for bowing to Iranian pressure. However, on Thursday, Moore struck back at the threats of intimidation.
"This movie will be shown, the agreement will be kept and this movie 'Iranium' will be shown at Library and Archives Canada. We will not be moving it to a different facility, we're not bending to any pressure," Moore added.
The screening had been paid for by a group called the Free Thinking Film Society, who originally criticized the library for capitulating to the threats. However, the filmmakers and the group praised the government's response in the wake of Moore's strong statements.
"The response to the cancelation by senior members of Canada's government, in particular Minister James Moore has been extremely refreshing," Alex Traiman, the film's director, said in a statement.
Narrated by Iranian actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo ("The House of Sand and Fog"), the film features interviews with politicians, Iranian dissidents, and Middle East experts, according a description of the movie provided by the filmmakers.
