Filmmaker says Iran must solve its problems from within

By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, acclaimed for revealing looks at gender inequality in modern Iran, says the country's own people must solve its problems without outside intervention.

Panahi, whose new film "Offside" deals with Iranian women denied entry into football stadiums, said social change must come from Iranians fighting the ruling class.

"Invading Iran is not going to solve a thing," he told Reuters. "It is up to the people themselves and no foreign power can help."

Panahi directed criticism at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and U.S. President George W. Bush, describing both as "very narrow-minded" and dangerous.

The 46-year-old director, who lives in Tehran, said he was not a political filmmaker but tried "to convey that Iranian women's rights are being curtailed" in socially conscious movies.

"Offside" has provided a "refreshing view" to people outside Iran, who discover that the country, despite its gender discrimination and censorship of filmmakers, is more open than what they first believed, he said.

"They did not realise people can discuss their problems in an open manner," Panahi said, adding that foreigners may be surprised that Iranian women openly demonstrate against issues such as equal custody rights and inheritance laws.

"Iranian women are well aware of the gender discrimination they are being subjected to," Panahi said.