Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has a lot going for it on the way to a potential Palme d’Or win: strong reviews, an anguished political call-out against Iranian oppression, and Rasoulof’s own status as an exile who just fled his home country and was finally able to attend Cannes after all. (Read our interview with the director here.)
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest film that he received an eight-year prison sentence from Iranian authorities for making, earned a rapturous 12-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival premiere on Friday. Rasoulof risked his life by appearing at the premiere as he fled Iran for Europe on May 13 to avoid going to prison.
There was undeniable applause as the film’s credits began to roll (though it is Variety‘s policy to begin timing the standing ovation once the house lights come up), with Rasoulof getting teary and waving enthusiastically to the balcony. Ali Abbasi, the director of fellow competition title “The Apprentice,” stood next to Rasoulof and encouraged the crowd to keep clapping — not that they needed it, as their cheers just seemed to get louder and louder. There was even a sign in the audience reading “Femme! Vie! Liberté!” (“Woman! Life! Freedom!
There was undeniable applause as the film’s credits began to roll (though it is Variety‘s policy to begin timing the standing ovation once the house lights come up), with Rasoulof getting teary and waving enthusiastically to the balcony. Ali Abbasi, the director of fellow competition title “The Apprentice,” stood next to Rasoulof and encouraged the crowd to keep clapping — not that they needed it, as their cheers just seemed to get louder and louder. There was even a sign in the audience reading “Femme! Vie! Liberté!” (“Woman! Life! Freedom!
- 5/24/2024
- by Ramin Setoodeh and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
This afternoon, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof debuted his latest feature, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, in Competition here at the Cannes Film Festival to a nearly 15-minute standing ovation.
The fact that the filmmaker was in attendance is especially poignant after he fled his home country through what he described to Deadline as a “complicated” and “anguishing” journey across Europe to a safe house in Germany. Back in Iran, Rasoulof is wanted by authorities who have sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments including flogging for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.”
Emotions running high during ‘Sacred Fig’ ovation #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/KvaA2VU9Sk
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) May 24, 2024
Rasoulof appealed his sentence, and during the lengthy legal process put together a plan to flee Iran, which he told us all together took 28 days on the road.
Best known for his forceful,...
The fact that the filmmaker was in attendance is especially poignant after he fled his home country through what he described to Deadline as a “complicated” and “anguishing” journey across Europe to a safe house in Germany. Back in Iran, Rasoulof is wanted by authorities who have sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments including flogging for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.”
Emotions running high during ‘Sacred Fig’ ovation #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/KvaA2VU9Sk
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) May 24, 2024
Rasoulof appealed his sentence, and during the lengthy legal process put together a plan to flee Iran, which he told us all together took 28 days on the road.
Best known for his forceful,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
On Friday Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof will debut his latest feature The Seed of the Sacred Fig in Cannes after fleeing his home country through what he described to Deadline as a “complicated” and “anguishing” journey across Europe to a safe house in Germany.
Rasoulof spoke to us this morning on the ground in Cannes, where he covertly arrived earlier this week. Back in Iran, the filmmaker is wanted by authorities who have sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments including flogging for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.”
“I was in the middle of shooting The Seed of the Sacred Fig when I found out that my prison sentence was confirmed. I knew I would be arrested and, of course, it’s very hard to go on working when you have this idea in your mind,” Rasoulof told us.
Rasoulof appealed his...
Rasoulof spoke to us this morning on the ground in Cannes, where he covertly arrived earlier this week. Back in Iran, the filmmaker is wanted by authorities who have sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments including flogging for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.”
“I was in the middle of shooting The Seed of the Sacred Fig when I found out that my prison sentence was confirmed. I knew I would be arrested and, of course, it’s very hard to go on working when you have this idea in your mind,” Rasoulof told us.
Rasoulof appealed his...
- 5/23/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Directors Guild of America is standing in solidarity with Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof who had fled authoritarian Iran, and is currently at the Cannes Film Festival with his competition title The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
“The Directors Guild of America strongly supports Director Mohammad Rasoulof in his flight from unjust sentencing and we stand in solidarity with him as he seeks safe harbor. No Director should fear imprisonment, physical punishment, or fines for exercising their right to express themselves artistically,” said DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter.
“It is imperative that filmmakers be allowed to freely pursue their calling without fear of persecution. Creative freedom is crucial to liberty, art, culture and human rights, and we stand together with the world’s film community to protect this fundamental right and support Director Mohammad Rasoulof in his fight for freedom of expression.”
The DGA’s statement comes in the wake...
“The Directors Guild of America strongly supports Director Mohammad Rasoulof in his flight from unjust sentencing and we stand in solidarity with him as he seeks safe harbor. No Director should fear imprisonment, physical punishment, or fines for exercising their right to express themselves artistically,” said DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter.
“It is imperative that filmmakers be allowed to freely pursue their calling without fear of persecution. Creative freedom is crucial to liberty, art, culture and human rights, and we stand together with the world’s film community to protect this fundamental right and support Director Mohammad Rasoulof in his fight for freedom of expression.”
The DGA’s statement comes in the wake...
- 5/22/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
In a surprising announcement, 51-year-old Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof will attend the premiere of “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” on Friday. The movie has one of the final competition slots and, unless it is an absolute dud, is a guarantee for one of the top awards considering the political statement it makes. As a direct result of making the movie, Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison, had his property removed, and was due to receive a flogging. He fled the country on foot and is now somewhere in Europe.
Rasoulof, whose previous work includes “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” “A Man of Integrity,” which won the top prize at Cannes’s Un Certain Regard sidebar, and “There Is No Evil,” which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. All of his films are critical of contemporary Iranian society, with “There Is No Evil,” about capital punishment,...
Rasoulof, whose previous work includes “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” “A Man of Integrity,” which won the top prize at Cannes’s Un Certain Regard sidebar, and “There Is No Evil,” which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. All of his films are critical of contemporary Iranian society, with “There Is No Evil,” about capital punishment,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will attend Friday’s Cannes screening of his competition movie The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Rasoulof announced last week that he had left Iran and was staying in what he described as an “undisclosed location in Europe” in a statement shared with the international press.
Rasoulof’s reps confirmed to Deadline that he will attend the screening on Friday.
News of Rasoulof’s journey to Europe came a week after his lawyer confirmed that Iranian authorities had handed the filmmaker an eight-year prison sentence for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.” Days after the sentence was announced, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was handed a competition spot at Cannes.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is about an investigating judge in Tehran who grapples with paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears.
Rasoulof has been in the crosshairs...
Rasoulof announced last week that he had left Iran and was staying in what he described as an “undisclosed location in Europe” in a statement shared with the international press.
Rasoulof’s reps confirmed to Deadline that he will attend the screening on Friday.
News of Rasoulof’s journey to Europe came a week after his lawyer confirmed that Iranian authorities had handed the filmmaker an eight-year prison sentence for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.” Days after the sentence was announced, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was handed a competition spot at Cannes.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is about an investigating judge in Tehran who grapples with paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears.
Rasoulof has been in the crosshairs...
- 5/22/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
International filmmakers are calling for solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof and persecuted filmmakers in Iran in an open letter, shared with Variety.
Rasoulof – about to screen his latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Cannes’ main competition – was sentenced to imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic of Iran. He fled the country.
“We condemn the inhumane treatment of Rasoulof and numerous other independent artists in Iran, who are being severely punished, criminalized and silenced for exercising their artistic freedom,” it was stated in the letter, already signed by “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Fatih Akin, Atom Egoyan, Ildiko Enyedi, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Laura Poitras, Sandra Hüller, Sean Baker, Payal Kapadia and Ariane Labed.
“We stand in full solidarity with Rasoulof’s demands and call upon the international film community to raise our voices against an Islamist dictatorship that systematically oppresses every aspect of their society’s lives.
Rasoulof – about to screen his latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Cannes’ main competition – was sentenced to imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic of Iran. He fled the country.
“We condemn the inhumane treatment of Rasoulof and numerous other independent artists in Iran, who are being severely punished, criminalized and silenced for exercising their artistic freedom,” it was stated in the letter, already signed by “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Fatih Akin, Atom Egoyan, Ildiko Enyedi, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Laura Poitras, Sandra Hüller, Sean Baker, Payal Kapadia and Ariane Labed.
“We stand in full solidarity with Rasoulof’s demands and call upon the international film community to raise our voices against an Islamist dictatorship that systematically oppresses every aspect of their society’s lives.
- 5/22/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed the first international sales for Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” ahead of its world premiere on Friday in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film has been acquired in Italy by BiM Distribuzione and Lucky Red, Benelux by September Film Distribution, Spain by Bteam Pictures, Greece by Ama Films, Hungary by Cirko Film, Norway by Selmer Media, Portugal by Leopardo Filmes, Taiwan by Hooray Films and Turkey by Bir Film. The rights for France were previously taken by Pyramide and for North America by Neon.
Negotiations are underway for the rights in Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Latin America, the Baltics, Denmark, former Yugoslavia, the Indian subcontinent, Poland and Sweden.
It was revealed on Monday that Rasoulof had left Iran and traveled to Europe clandestinely after being sentenced to eight years in prison by the country’s authorities,...
The film has been acquired in Italy by BiM Distribuzione and Lucky Red, Benelux by September Film Distribution, Spain by Bteam Pictures, Greece by Ama Films, Hungary by Cirko Film, Norway by Selmer Media, Portugal by Leopardo Filmes, Taiwan by Hooray Films and Turkey by Bir Film. The rights for France were previously taken by Pyramide and for North America by Neon.
Negotiations are underway for the rights in Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Latin America, the Baltics, Denmark, former Yugoslavia, the Indian subcontinent, Poland and Sweden.
It was revealed on Monday that Rasoulof had left Iran and traveled to Europe clandestinely after being sentenced to eight years in prison by the country’s authorities,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Neon has grabbed North American rights to The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the latest film from Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof.
The thriller is set to debut in competition in Cannes on May 24 and marks Rasoulof’s first return to Cannes after being barred from traveling to serve on last year’s Un Certain Regard jury by Iranian officials. The film stars Setareh Abdolmaleki, Zahra Rostami, Amineh Mazroei Arani, and Niousha AkhshiVardoogh. Neon has said it is planning a North American theatrical release in 2024.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig follows Iman, an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, who grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears. Suspecting the involvement of his wife Najmeh and his daughters Rezvan and Sana, he imposes drastic measures at home, causing tensions to rise. Step by step,...
The thriller is set to debut in competition in Cannes on May 24 and marks Rasoulof’s first return to Cannes after being barred from traveling to serve on last year’s Un Certain Regard jury by Iranian officials. The film stars Setareh Abdolmaleki, Zahra Rostami, Amineh Mazroei Arani, and Niousha AkhshiVardoogh. Neon has said it is planning a North American theatrical release in 2024.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig follows Iman, an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, who grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears. Suspecting the involvement of his wife Najmeh and his daughters Rezvan and Sana, he imposes drastic measures at home, causing tensions to rise. Step by step,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Mohammad Rasoulof has fled Iran less than a week after his home country sentenced him to eight years in prison and flogging. The Iranian filmmaker, who won the Golden Bear at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival for “There Is No Evil,” has a film in competition at Cannes this year for the first time: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” It’s set to premiere next week toward the end of the festival, with the director’s attendance still unknown. The film, made in secret, was added to the lineup last month. Rasoulof’s fleeing raises the question of whether he will actually be able to attend the festival after all.
In a press statement issued from an undisclosed location, Rasoulof described the repression of his team in Iran while asking the international film community for “effective support.” See the full statement, dated May 12, below.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence and flogging,...
In a press statement issued from an undisclosed location, Rasoulof described the repression of his team in Iran while asking the international film community for “effective support.” See the full statement, dated May 12, below.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence and flogging,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has left Iran and is currently staying in what he described as an “undisclosed location in Europe” in a statement shared with the international press this afternoon.
“I arrived in Europe a few days ago after a long and complicated journey,” Rasoulof said in the statement, which you can read in full below.
News of Rasoulof’s journey comes a week after his lawyer confirmed that Iranian authorities had handed the filmmaker an eight-year prison sentence for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.” Days after the sentence was announced, Rasoulof’s latest film The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was handed a competition spot at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“I strongly object to the unjust recent ruling against me that forces me into exile. However, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic has issued so many cruel and strange decisions that I...
“I arrived in Europe a few days ago after a long and complicated journey,” Rasoulof said in the statement, which you can read in full below.
News of Rasoulof’s journey comes a week after his lawyer confirmed that Iranian authorities had handed the filmmaker an eight-year prison sentence for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.” Days after the sentence was announced, Rasoulof’s latest film The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was handed a competition spot at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“I strongly object to the unjust recent ruling against me that forces me into exile. However, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic has issued so many cruel and strange decisions that I...
- 5/13/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian auteur Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine and confiscation of his property, according to his lawyer.
Posting today on social media platform X, human rights lawyer Babak Paknia, who represents the filmmaker, said the Islamic Revolutionary Court had issued the verdict.
“The main reason for issuing this sentence is signing statements and making films and documentaries, which, according to the court, are examples of collusion and collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security,” he said
Iranian authorities had reportedly been putting pressure on Rasoulof to pull...
Posting today on social media platform X, human rights lawyer Babak Paknia, who represents the filmmaker, said the Islamic Revolutionary Court had issued the verdict.
“The main reason for issuing this sentence is signing statements and making films and documentaries, which, according to the court, are examples of collusion and collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security,” he said
Iranian authorities had reportedly been putting pressure on Rasoulof to pull...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison as well as flogging, a fine and confiscation of his property, his lawyer Babak Paknia announced in a post on X on Wednesday.
“The main reason for issuing this sentence is for signing statements and making films and documentaries. In the court’s opinion, these actions were examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security,” wrote Paknia.
News of Rasoulof’s sentencing follows in the wake of reports that the director had come under pressure from the Iranian authorities to withdraw his upcoming film The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree from the Cannes Film Festival where it is due to world premiere in Competition.
Rasoulof has been in the crosshairs of Iran’s hardline Islamic Republic government throughout his career for challenging its authoritarian rule.
In his latest brush with Iran’s hardline regime,...
“The main reason for issuing this sentence is for signing statements and making films and documentaries. In the court’s opinion, these actions were examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security,” wrote Paknia.
News of Rasoulof’s sentencing follows in the wake of reports that the director had come under pressure from the Iranian authorities to withdraw his upcoming film The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree from the Cannes Film Festival where it is due to world premiere in Competition.
Rasoulof has been in the crosshairs of Iran’s hardline Islamic Republic government throughout his career for challenging its authoritarian rule.
In his latest brush with Iran’s hardline regime,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s unclear if the Iranian auteur will be allowed to attend the film’s premiere.
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle world sales on Mohammad Rasoulof’s Berlin competition title There Is No Evil.
The Iranian auteur has faced censorship challenges in Iran since his second feature Iron Island (2005), and last summer was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment on charges of endangering national security through his work. He is now out of jail but is not allowed to leave Iran as he remains under a travel ban.
Films Boutique COO Gabor Greiner has called on the Iranian authorities...
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle world sales on Mohammad Rasoulof’s Berlin competition title There Is No Evil.
The Iranian auteur has faced censorship challenges in Iran since his second feature Iron Island (2005), and last summer was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment on charges of endangering national security through his work. He is now out of jail but is not allowed to leave Iran as he remains under a travel ban.
Films Boutique COO Gabor Greiner has called on the Iranian authorities...
- 2/13/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSDavid Cronenberg on the set of CrashThis year's Venice Film Festival will premiere a brand new 4K restoration of David Cronenberg's cult classic Crash. "Seems like only yesterday that we were shooting it," Cronenberg says. Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, best known for films Manuscripts Don't Burn (2013) and A Man of Integrity (2017), has been sentenced to one year in prison for "propaganda against the state," highlighting the plight of artists in Iran. Recommended VIEWINGBehold, the official trailer for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. A first look at Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse, the follow-up to The Witch, which follows two men struggling for both physical and mental survival in a tower on an isolated island. Notebook's Cannes correspondent Leonardo Goi describes the film as...
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