An Iranian actress, Laleh Marzban, has drawn both praise and criticism after her speech at the Venice Film Festival, where she won the best newcomer award for her role in the film Falling House. The film, directed by Mohsen Gharaei, explores the lives of three generations of women trapped in a home by their controlling father. During her acceptance speech, Marzban honored the women of Iran, saying they have "paid the highest price for even the smallest measure of freedom." She also expressed hope that Iranians, despite facing difficult times, would not lose faith in the future. Marzban's comments sparked a strong response from Iran’s conservative authorities. The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, a government body closely aligned with Iran’s supreme leader, criticized her speech as presenting a "one-sided narrative" of Iran’s society. The council accused her of reinforcing "stereotypes desired by Western circles," which they said contradicted the purpose of art to promote awareness and social responsibility. Similar criticisms appeared in state-affiliated media, some of which called for disciplinary action against the actress. Some Iranian media personalities and public figures also reacted harshly. Zahra Chekhmaghi, a journalist and presenter with the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), called Marzban "two-faced, self-interested, hypocritical, despicable, and miserable." Another IRIB-affiliated actress, Zhila Sadeghi, criticized Marzban for not dedicating her speech to children killed in a U.S. missile strike in the southern Iranian city of Minab earlier this year. A Quran expert on state TV also accused Marzban of being "deceived by the enemy" and urged the government to prevent her from working in Iran. Meanwhile, the Student News Network (SNN), a state-aligned news agency, called on Iran’s Ministry of Culture to block Marzban from returning to the country. The backlash against Marzban and Falling House comes amid heightened tensions over artistic expression in Iran. Similar controversies have arisen around other international films shown at the festival, including the Guardian-produced documentary NAZA, which highlights the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza. The film has drawn criticism from Israeli officials, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently proposing new laws to strip citizenship from those who "smear" Israeli soldiers. This reflects a growing sensitivity to how Iran and Israel portray each other in international media. In Falling House, Marzban plays Ensi, a young woman determined to escape her restrictive family life and pursue a modeling career in Turkey. Her father, portrayed by actor Farhad Aslani, tries to assert control by locking her and the other women in their rooms. When asked how the film might be received in Iran, Marzban emphasized the importance of incremental progress for women in the country. "We can only make one step at a time," she said, expressing hope that others would follow her lead in moving toward shared goals.