The Stage

“Complicated” UK visa system forces Iranian director to pull out of ENO show

Published Wednesday 6 May 2009 at 15:23 by Lalayn Baluch

Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami has pulled out of directing Cosi Fan Tutte for the English National Opera because of the UK’s “unduly time-consuming and hugely complicated” visa system.

The artist was due to direct the show at the London Coliseum later this month, which he created and premiered last year at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France.

However, according to an ENO spokesperson, Kiarostami did not feel he was treated in a respectful way when applying for a UK visa.

The spokesperson added: “He works freely in both France and Italy and doesn’t have these problems to get there. The [British] Ambassador [in Iran] did try and intervene at the last minute but by this stage Abbas wasn’t prepared to pursue the matter any further.”

Kiarostami will be replaced by Elaine Tyler-Hall, who worked alongside the Iranian artist as associate director on the production in France last year.

ENO artistic director John Berry said: “Abbas, together with his designer and the ENO team, has been meeting in Paris over the last six months to further develop his production since its premiere in the Aix-en-Provence Festival last year. It is very sad that such a widely admired artist as Abbas will not be coming to London.

“However, we are delighted that his trusted British associate director Elaine Tyler-Hall, who worked on the creation of the production with him in Aix, will take over the production in his absence. Abbas and I will be in close touch over the coming weeks, even if it has to be from a distance.”

Cosi Fan Tutte opens on May 29 at the London Coliseum, where it will run for ten performances.

Kiarostami added: “I would like to thank John Berry and the rest of the crew at ENO for the understanding and support they have shown in this very complicated but delicate situation. They respected my position and my principles in spite of the obvious fact that it was putting them in a very precarious and disagreeable position. I have to confess that this gives me hope - the world is still a liveable place malgré tout.”