MUMBAI: The Pusan International Film Festival, in a statement, has criticised the Iranian government‘s decision to sentence Jafar Panahi and his fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof.

"We strongly believe that it is nothing but unjustified suppression of one of the greatest filmmakers in the world."The Pusan International Film Festival is absolutely outraged," the statement read.

Panahi‘s film The Circle deals with the discrimination of women in Iran, through the eyes of women released from prison. In another film, Offside, the director told a story of girls who have to disguise themselves to watch a football game.

Panahi‘s feature debut film The White Balloon won him a Camera d‘Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. He has also received other prestigious awards such as the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Offside.