For those unaware, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof recently fled his native Iran upon finding out that he was facing eight years in prison for making films that criticised Iran’s government. His film, The Seed of The Sacred Fig, debuted at the recent Cannes Film Festival and, after receiving a twelve minute standing ovation, the film was awarded its own award specially created by the jury. The three-hour film examines the country’s recent Women, Life, Freedom movement through the a family where two daughters challenge their father’s role in the regime.
Emotions running high during ‘Sacred Fig’ ovation #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/KvaA2VU9Sk
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After fleeing Iran, Rasoulof made his way to Germany, then France. After his film premiered at the festival to raving reviews, the director ensured the audience that he would continue making films that expose the situation in his country.
“The Islamic Republic has taken the Iranian people hostage,” he said at the news conference in Cannes. “It’s very important, then, to talk about this indoctrination.”
Set against the backdrop of student protests in Tehran, the film follows an investigative judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran whose job approving death sentences begins to take a toll on him and his family. The judge’s ensuing paranoia is amplified after his gun turns up missing, and he begins to suspect his wife and daughters of conspiring against him, thereby taking drastic measures to uncover the culprit.
When asked about where the idea came from, Rasoulof said that he was inspired from his own imprisonment back in 2022 on behalf of signing a petition that called on Iran’s security forces to use restraint during public protests.
After his release in February 2023, Rasoulof formulated a plan to shoot The Seed of the Sacred Fig with a small crew in a secret location in hopes of not arousing any press or suspicion from the government.
“Sometimes people said, ‘There’s someone outside lurking,’ and we would all just scatter,” said Mahsa Rostami, an actress in the film. “We just prayed that this project would be followed through to the end.”Rasoulof quickly discarded his phone which he believed authorities were using to track his location.
“Obviously, I knew that making this film would lead to additional charges against me,” Rasoulof said. “I said to myself, ‘I must not think about this anymore, I must close this door in my mind,’ and that’s what I did. I counted on the slow pace of the legal administration to be able to finish shooting the film.” Still, in spite of the continuous charges and borderline bounty placed on his head, Rasoulof’s determination to make good art in the face of governmental oppression hasn’t ceased whatsoever. “There are free people with great dignity who want to make films at all cost,” Rasoulof said. “My only message to Iranian cinema is: Don’t be afraid of intimidation and censorship in Iran. They’re totally incapable of reigning, they have no other weapon but terror.”
