In May of 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to President G.W. Bush trying to open negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. Six months later he wrote an open letter to the American people, siding with the voters who were critical of the current administration after the November elections. Both were dismissed by the Bush administration as publicity stunts.

After this, you would think Ahmadinejad would jump at the chance to speak his mind in American movie theaters by being a part of an Oliver Stone documentary devoted entirely to him. Alas, no. Despite the support of a number of high-profile Iranian filmmakers who supported Stone's proposal, Ahmadinejad's media advisor rejected Stone's offer, saying, "It is true that this person is considered part of the opposition in the U.S., but he is still part of the Great Satan."

Even worse, he said, "We believe that the American cinema industry lacks culture and art." Ouch. Of course, that criticism would have hurt more if it was stated during the 1990s when Iranian cinema was the darling of the international film festival circuit. Then again, some speculate that they're just angry at how the Persians were portrayed in 300.

The only way Ahmadinejad would have allowed himself to be profiled would have been if President Bush gave an Iranian director similar access, which is on the far side of never gonna happen.

Oliver Stone has never been one to shy away from controversy, and this project would have fit right in with his two documentaries about Fidel Castro. Judging by Stone's fawning representation of Castro in Comandante, which I saw when it premiered at Sundance, Ahmadinejad is missing a good opportunity for a sympathetic portrayal.

Actually, that's what I thought until I saw Stone's response to his rejection, where he reportedly said, "I wish the Iranian people well, and only hope their experience with an inept, rigid ideologue president goes better than ours." Zing! He lashes out at their government and ours at the same time! Maybe Ahmadinejad was right to reject the offer after all.

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Andy Spletzer feels that Oliver Stone was completely charmed by the access Fidel Castro gave him while he filmed his documentaries about him, and enjoys the controversy that surrounds portraying Castro in a positive light.

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