Iran banned director Mohammed Rasulof and his crew from leaving the country. Rasulof’s new feature ‘The Seed of the Scared Fig’ was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
On April 30, the crew’s lawyer revealed that Iran’s authorities had summoned the crew for questioning and banned them from leaving the country.
According to lawyer Babak Paknia’s post on the social media platform X, the team involved in Mohammad Rasoulof’s film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” faced significant pressure to withdraw it from the festival. Additionally, actors associated with the film were reportedly prohibited from exiting the country.
Mohammad Rasoulof, renowned for his award-winning film “There Is No Evil,” which received the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2020 for its stance against capital punishment, had himself been detained in July 2022. His release came in late 2023, following the easing of anti-government protests that originated in September 2022.
Paknia’s post detailed instances in recent weeks where crew members were subjected to interrogation. Similarly, actors involved in the production were questioned and prevented from leaving the country. Paknia mentioned that after enduring several hours of interrogation, they were instructed to convey to the director the demand to remove the film from the Cannes Festival.
He added it was unclear if Rasoulof would be allowed to leave Iran to attend the festival.
According to film industry media, both the subject matter of Mohammad Rasoulof’s film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” and its cast remain undisclosed. It is currently unclear how many individuals involved in the production were subjected to interrogation.
In recent years, participation in the Cannes Festival has become increasingly contentious for Iranian directors and actors.
Notably, director Saeed Roustaee was sentenced to six months in prison following the screening of his film “Leila’s Brothers” at the 2022 festival. Iranian authorities contended that the film was shown without authorization.
Furthermore, the film’s lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, was detained for nearly three weeks in early 2023. Her arrest stemmed from her support for the protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Amini was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women.
