Hollywood has expressed concern about Iran's crackdown on directors and actors and called on Tehran to release filmmakers detained last month.

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is deeply concerned whenever and wherever the rights of filmmakers are threatened," the group said in a statement Wednesday signed by several movie-making guilds.

"The recent arrest of six Iranian filmmakers, the sentence of 'one year in jail and 90 lashes' to an actress just for playing a role in an acclaimed film, and the continued house arrest of Jafar Panahi, among others, is a situation that demands our serious attention," it said.

"We join our colleagues around the world in calling unequivocally for these filmmakers' safety, release, and return to filmmaking."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- which awards the Oscars each year -- represents over 6,000 artists in 35 countries.
The statement was co-signed by the American Cinema Editors, the American Society of Cinematographers, the Directors Guild of America, the International Documentary Association, the Producers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the West and East Writers Guilds of America.