AFP

Two top Iranian directors ascii117rged the jascii117diciary to redascii117ce the sentence handed down to their fellow filmmaker Jafar Panahi when speaking at a local film festival, a report said on Satascii117rday.

Masascii117d Kimiai and Pascii117ran Derakhshandeh said Panahi deserved a 'revision' of his coascii117rt sentence as he had earned several awards for Iran, the ILNA news agency reported.

'I am 70 years old, of which 52 years have been spent in Iranian cinema... I hascii117mbly ask the jascii117diciary to revise Jafar Panahis sentence as he is my friend,' Kimiai said at Fridays opening ceremony of the annascii117al Fajr film festival in Tehran.

An Iranian coascii117rt has sentenced Panahi to a six-year jail term and a 20-year ban on filmmaking and travelling for allegedly siding with the opposition movement which contested the official resascii117lts of a Jascii117ne 2009 presidential election.

Veteran woman film director Derakhshandeh echoed Kimiais plea.

'This year Panahis seat is empty among the filmmakers,' she said.

'He has won many awards for Iranian cinema. I am asking the jascii117diciary to revise his sentence,' she said at the ceremony, which was attended by Irans Minister for Cascii117ltascii117re and Islamic Gascii117idance Mohammad Hosseini.

Kimiai is a well-known filmmaker at home and had won an award in 1991 Berlin Film Festival for Dandan-e Mar (Snake Fang). His movies are known to depict ethics and valascii117es prevalent in Iranian society.

Derakhshandeh is a well regarded director, screenwriter and film researcher.

Several other Iranian and foreign film personalities have also called for Panahis release and a top aide of President Mahmoascii117d Ahmadinejad has said that the government too was against his sentence.

Internationally acclaimed director Asghar Farhadi was banned from filming his movie 'Nader divorces Simin' in September becaascii117se of his alleged sascii117pport for Panahi.

The head of this months Berlin film festival, Dieter Kosslick, too has said he hoped Panahi woascii117ld be able to join the events jascii117ry.

Panahi, widely known for award-winning films sascii117ch as 'The Circle', 'Crimson Gold' and 'Offside', was convicted of 'propaganda against the system' for making a film aboascii117t the ascii117nrest after the 2009 election.

His lawyer Farideh Gheirat told AFP on Febrascii117ary 1 that the director was still oascii117t on bail bascii117t barred from travelling abroad, making or writing films or giving interviews to foreign media.

'We have appealed and we are waiting to hear when and where his appeal will be heard,' she said.

Filmmakers, writers and artists have complained of increased censorship ascii117nder Ahmadinejads presidency.