Iranian Woman To Be Lashed For Starring In Australian Film

An Iranian-born woman is facing up to a year's jail-time and 90 lashes for starring in an Australian produced film without the requisite Islamic hijab.

Marzieh Vafamehr was the star of the 2009 feature film My Tehran for Sale, which was reportedly jointly funded by the South Australian Film Corporation and the Adelaide Film Festival.

Vafamehr was arrested in June after black market copies of the film began circulating, with outraged officials deeming it "controversial" because it showed footage of modernised Iranians.

The Australian producer of the film, Kate Croser, said there was an appeal in the works, but that the Vafamehr family believed public comment would be unhelpful.

"They are going through all the official channels," Coser explained. "We can say the charges were that there was no permit for filming, which is not true, and that in some scenes Marzieh was not wearing a hijab and had a shaved head."

Family First MLC Dennis Hood is reportedly speaking to Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd today in a bid to offer Australian assistance to the family.