Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof is set to attend the Cannes premiere of his latest feature, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, after receiving an eight-year prison sentence from Iranian authorities and fleeing his home country.
Speculation had been rife that the dissident director would attend the festival when the film receives its world premiere in Competition on Friday (May 24), having found asylum in Germany, but Cannes’ general delegate Thierry Fremaux has now confirmed his attendance.
“We are particularly touched to welcome [Rasoulof] here as a filmmaker,” Fremaux said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Our joy will be that of all festival-goers and all freedom-loving Iranians. We would like to reaffirm the support of the Cannes Film Festival for all artists around the world who suffer violence and reprisals in the expression of their art.”
The dissident director received a sentence of eight years in prison, a flogging, a fine and confiscation of his property from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court for public statements, films and documentaries made by Rasoulof, which it considers “examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security”.
It has followed weeks of pressure on the filmmaker by Iranian authorities to withdraw his film from the festival, with associated actors and crew summoned and questioned by authorities at the end of April, some of whom were banned from leaving Iran.
Open letter
Separately, a cohort of international filmmakers have called for solidarity with Iran filmmakers including Rasoulof in an open letter that condemns the “continuous systemic criminalisation of artistic freedom”.
Among the first signatories are US director Sean Baker, whose Anora plays in Competition at this year’s Cannes; India’s Payal Kapadia, also competing for the Palme d’Or with All We Imagine As Light; Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won best actress at Cannes in 2022 with Holy Spider; and Germany’s Fatih Akin, who played in Competition twice at Cannes and won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2004 with Head-On.
Further supporters include Germany’s Edward Berger, director of Oscar-winner All Quiet On The Western Front and Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi, who won Berlin’s Golden Bear with On Body And Soul in 2017, alongside Atom Egoyan, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Sandra Hüller, Ariane Labed, David Lowery, Ottessa Moshfegh, Shirin Neshat, Laura Poitras, Franz Rogowski and Ira Sachs.
The letter was initiated by Tara Afsah of Komplizen Film and Raquel Kishori Dukpa, Paulina Lorenz and Faraz Shariat of Jünglinge Film alongside Jorgo Narjes of X Filme and Iranian actor and filmmaker Maryam Zaree.
“We condemn the inhumane treatment of Rasoulof, his colleagues and numerous other independent artists in Iran, who are being severely punished, criminalised and silenced for exercising their artistic freedom,” stated the letter.
“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.”
Others to have added their signature to the letter include Aaron Altaras, Christopher Aoun, Emily Atef, Nabil Ayouch, Malick Bauer, Cynthia Beatt, Bettina Böhler, Detlev Buck, Fred Burle, Sarka Cimbalova, Denis Cote, Jonas Dassler, Jonas Dornbach, Mike Downey, Fabian Gasmia, Valeska Grisebach, Thomas Hakim, Helene Hegemann, Julia von Heinz, Janine Jackowski, Rosh Khodabakhsh, Marie-Louise Khondji, Ariane Labed, Constantin Lieb, Roberto Minervini, Mariko Minoguchi, Ottessa Moshfegh, Ulrike Ottinger, Ayşe Polat, Julian Rosefeldt, Uwe Schott, Christian Schwochow, Shaunak Sen, Jean-Christophe Simon, Maryam Touzani, Jeanne Tremsal and Tom Tykwer.
They join a growing number of leading figures calling for support of Rasoulof, which previously included actor Robert De Niro in his role as a co-founder of Tribeca Festival alongside and Jane Rosenthal.
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