Azerbaijan, Baku, July 18/ Trend N. Umid/
More than 100 members of Iran's House of Cinema and cinema activists gathered in front of the shut down House of Cinema, protesting against its closing, IRNA news agency reported.
House of Cinema has been shut down by Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Farhad Tohidi, the spokesman of Iran's House of Cinema, announced that Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance personnel shut the House of Cinema down on Tuesday morning. He added that three representatives of ministry were present at the House of Cinema and this was considered as a hostile takeover, the report said.
Protesters announced that they will continue gathering till the settlement of the problem.
According to the report, Iranian police warned the protestors and announced that will prevent "unpermitted" protest.
According to the reports Tehran police Chief, Hossein Sajedinia met the protesters and promised to protect the House of Cinema and prevent occupying the office by other groups till the settlement of the problem.
He demanded activists to end the gathering, the report said.
According to the reports, the protesters are leaving the place.
On January 3, 2012 Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (MCIG) sent the Iranian House of Cinema a letter ordering them to cease its activity.
The ministry stated that the association had not followed the required legal process for establishing a cultural institution and so was not legally authorized and was operating without a license.
At the other hand, House of Cinema officials believe that MCIG`s action is illegal.
"The House of Cinema is registered as a non-governmental organization. Thus, it can only be dissolved by a judicial ruling or by a decision from its general assembly," Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpur, House of Cinema Board Member, said.
It should also be taken into consideration that last month the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the head of the country's Cinematography Organization to reopen the House of Cinema.
House of Cinema is the largest professional film association in Iran with over 5,000 members. Acting as an umbrella organization of different motion picture guilds, House of Cinema aims to protect the financial interests, job security, and rights of its membership and to provide professional training for individuals working in the Iranian film industry.
Some conservative filmmakers have been in recent years accusing the House of Cinema of being "a centre for promoting pro-western and secular culture".