Iranian actress exiled for posing nude

Golshifteh Farahani posed in the nude for a French magazine in protest against the ultra-conservative cultural policies she says are restricting Iran’s film industry (Reuters)

An Iranian actress who posed in the nude for a French magazine has been warned not to return home.

Golshifteh Farahani, co-star of the 2008 spy drama Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio, moved from Iran to Paris a year ago. She appeared in the news magazine Madame Le Figaro in protest against the ultra-conservative cultural policies she says are restricting Iran's film industry.

"I was told by a Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists and 'you may offer your artistic services somewhere else'," she said. Some fans praised her courage in tackling a taboo subject among Muslim women.