Dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled his native Iran earlier this year, has been named president of the New Currents jury at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
The jury for the competitive New Currents section will also comprise Korean director Lee Myung Se, Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, Indian actress Kani Kusruti and International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) festival director Vanja Kaludjercic.
The New Currents strand of BIFF includes first or second films by emerging Asian filmmakers and the jurors will select two winning features, which will each receive a prize of $30,000.
Whether Rasoulof will make it to the leading festival in South Korea remains to be seen. After shooting his latest feature The Seed Of The Sacred Fig in secret – for fear of repercussions from Iranian authorities – the filmmaker fled the country after receiving a sentence of eight years in prison and a flogging for his ongoing criticism of the regime.
He is now understood to be living in Germany but does not have a passport and must travel with documents provided with the help of the city of Hamburg, leading to uncertainty as to whether he can fly out of Europe. A BIFF spokesperson told Screen that the festival is in the process of managing these details but cannot give a definitive answer at this time.
Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig premiered in Competition at Cannes in May, winning the special jury prize and Fipresci award before scooping the audience award at Sydney Film Festival. He was most recently seen at Locarno, where the film played at the Piazza Granda. The feature has also been shortlisted as Germany’s submission for the upcoming Oscars.
Rasoulof films to previously play at BIFF include Iron Island in 2005, Goodbye in 2011, A Man Of Integrity in 2017 and Berlinale Golden Bear-winner There Is No Evil in 2020.
The 29th BIFF is set to take place from October 2-11.
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