Mohammad Rasoulof, an Iranian filmmaker who had to leave Iran because he was sentenced to 8 years in prison, will go to the first showing of his new movie, ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig.’
The Hollywood Reporter said that Rasoulof will go to the Cannes Film Festival on May 24 for the premiere of his new movie. He’ll also do interviews and other things to talk about the movie.
He left Iran by getting rid of all his devices that could be tracked and walked over the mountains to leave the country. He’s staying in Germany now. Rasoulof told The Guardian that he thinks he’ll go back to Iran soon to serve his prison sentence, but he felt he had to leave because he wanted to keep making movies about the real life in Iran. He knew leaving would probably get him in more trouble.
‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ is about a judge in Iran’s Revolutionary Court who feels bad about the things he’s doing as protests are happening in the country. His family is also affected by what’s going on. This movie will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Rasoulof is one of the top filmmakers in Iran and he often criticizes the government in Tehran. In 2020, he won a big award at a film festival in Berlin for his movie ‘There Is No Evil.’ He’s been in jail in Iran two times because of his movies and his activism.
The court in Iran gave Rasoulof 8 years in jail, plus a fine, taking his stuff, and flogging him. They said it was because of things he said in public and the movies he made, which they said were trying to hurt the country’s safety.
The Directors Guild of America supports Rasoulof and said no filmmaker should be scared of going to jail or getting hurt because they’re expressing themselves. They said filmmakers should be able to do their job without worrying about getting in trouble.
A group of filmmakers in Berlin also wrote a letter supporting Rasoulof. They said Iran is being mean to him and other filmmakers who just want to make art and talk about what’s happening in their country. They said everyone should support Rasoulof and other artists who are facing the same problems. They believe art should be free and everyone should be able to speak their mind without being afraid.