THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (2024)
Last Friday, among a torrent of festival-related news, the fate of Mohammad Rasoulof was a topic of discussion. The Iranian filmmaker has found himself in trouble with his country's law for many years now, primarily because of political outspokenness and a cinematic output that dares to question the status quo. His latest work, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, is scheduled for a Cannes premiere next week, as part of the Main Competition. Though details are scant, it's been reported as the story of a paranoid judge of the Revolutionary Court. When, in a setting of civic unrest, his gun vanishes, the man imposes oppressive rules on his family, turning the domestic space into a tyranny, his wife and daughters into quasi-prisoners…
A MAN OF INTEGRITY (2017)
Even before such details were out in the open, the Iranian authorities pushed for the film's removal from the Cannes program. After appeals to the cineastes and festival organizers bore no results, further measures were taken against the people involved. The movie's cast and crew has been forbidden from leaving Iran, and, last week, Rasoulof himself was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, and confiscation of property. The director has been arrested multiple times because of his work, and his passport was also confiscated. It first happened in 2010, though the given reason was a lack of permit for filming.
In 2011, after winning two prizes at Cannes, Rasoulof was brought to trial and sentenced to six years in prison and a two-decade ban on filmmaking. Thankfully, the sentence was suspended on appeal, and he was released on bail. A similar crisis occurred in 2017, and, by 2019, he was convicted to a year in prison as response to his Un Certain Regard contender, A Man of Integrity. Without documentation, effectively imprisoned within Iran's borders, he was unable to attend the Berlinale, where his film, There Is No Evil, won the Golden Bear. Later, during the height of the pandemic, he was again put on trial after three projects were deemed anti-system propaganda.
THERE IS NO EVIL (2020)
Through all this, Rasoulof has had the support of much of the Iranian film community, including directors who have faced similar persecution like Jafar Panahi. Even internationally, his troubles with his country's authority have led to generalized outcry. However, this latest court ruling was the harshest yet, prompting the director to flee the country altogether. It was all done through clandestine means, with Rasoulof now in some undisclosed part of Europe. With all this happening, it's unclear if the director will be in Cannes for the premiere of The Seed of the Sacred Fig, his latest provocation against an unjust regime.
Here is Mohammad Rasoulof's official statement:
I arrived in Europe a few days ago after a long and complicated journey. About a month ago, my lawyers informed me that my eight-year prison sentence was confirmed in the court of appeal and would be implemented on short notice. Knowing that the news of my new film would be revealed very soon, I knew that without a doubt, a new sentence would be added to these eight years. I didn't have much time to make a decision. I had to choose between prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile. The Islamic Republic confiscated my passport in September 2017. Therefore, I had to leave Iran secretly.
Of course, 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 do not feel it is my place to complain about my sentence. Death sentences are being executed as the Islamic Republic has targeted the lives of protesters and civil rights activists. It's hard to believe, but right now as I'm writing this, the young rapper, Toomaj Salehi is held in prison and has been sentenced to death. The scope and intensity of repression has reached a point of brutality where people expect news of another heinous government crime every day. The criminal machine of the Islamic Republic is continuously and systematically violating human rights.
Before the Islamic Republic's intelligence services were informed about my film's production, a number of the actors managed to leave Iran. However, many of the actors and agents of the film are still in Iran and the intelligence system is pressuring them. They have been put through lengthy interrogations. The families of some of them were summoned and threatened. Due to their appearance in this movie, court cases were filed against them, and they were banned from leaving the country. They raided the office of the cinematographer, and all his work equipment was taken away. They also prevented the film's sound engineer from traveling to Canada. During the interrogations of the film crew, the intelligence forces asked them to pressure me to withdraw the film from the Cannes Festival. They were trying to convince the film crew that they were not aware of the film's story and that they had been manipulated into participating in the project.
Despite the vast limitations I and my colleagues and friends faced while making the film, I tried to achieve a cinematic narrative that is far from the narrative dominated by the censorship in the Islamic Republic, and closer to its reality. I have no doubt that restricting and suppressing freedom of expression cannot be justified even if it becomes a spur for creativity, but when there is no way, a way must be made.
The world's cinema community must ensure effective support for the makers of such films. Freedom of speech should be defended, loudly and clearly. People who courageously and selflessly confront censorship instead of supporting it are reassured of the importance of their actions by the support of international film organizations. As I know from personal experience, it can be an invaluable help for them to continue their vital work.
Many people helped to make this film. My thoughts are with all of them, and I fear for their safety and well-being.
Political attacks and suppressive measures on Iranian cultural figures have become commonplace in the past few years. However, one can't let themselves become numb to such injustice. Against oppression, the film community stands with Mohammad Rasoulof and all other artists suffering similar persecution.