Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will make a defiant appearance at the Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of his latest film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Rasoulof clandestinely left Iran after being handed an eight-year prison sentence and flogging for creating the film.
Despite the Iranian authorities’ attempts to thwart his attendance, Rasoulof successfully arrived in Europe a few days ago. His escape follows the Islamic Revolutionary Court’s harsh sentencing and subsequent pressure on him to withdraw The Seed of the Sacred Fig from Cannes. The authorities also harassed the film’s producers and actors in an effort to suppress its international debut.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig will be showcased in competition at Cannes on May 24 and marks a significant moment for Rasoulof, who will be present for the screening, with the film’s publicist confirming his attendance.
The film, as described by sales company Films Boutique, looks at the story of Iman, a judge in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, who is engulfed by mistrust and paranoia amid escalating political protests. The mysterious disappearance of his gun leads him to suspect his own family, particularly his wife Najmeh and daughters Rezvan and Sana, driving him to impose drastic measures that escalate domestic tensions.
Rasoulof, a stalwart of Iranian cinema, has faced continuous persecution for his work, which has never been shown in his home country due to stringent censorship. His previous confrontations with Iranian authorities date back to 2011, when he and fellow director Jafar Panahi received prison sentences and a ban on filmmaking for alleged anti-regime propaganda. Although Rasoulof’s sentence was later suspended, his passport was confiscated in 2017 after he returned from the Telluride Film Festival.
