The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

Source: Cannes

‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’

Germany has revealed the 13 titles that it will consider for submission to the 97th Academy Awards, including Cannes award-winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof.

Further features in the selection include Andreas Dresen’s From Hilde, With Love and Matthias Glasner’s Dying, which both played in Competition at this year’s Berlinale; Fabian Stumm’s Sad Jokes, set to screen at Toronto; and documentary Hollywoodgate, directed by German-based Egyptian filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at, which premiered at Venice in 2023.

Although set in Tehran with a predominantly Iranian cast and crew, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig is produced by Rasoulof’s German outfit Run Way Pictures alongside France’s Parallel45 in co-production with Arte France Cinéma.

After shooting the feature in secret – for fear of repercussions from Iranian authorities – Rasoulof fled the country after receiving an eight-year prison sentence for his ongoing criticism of the regime and is now understood to be based in Germany. The film premiered in Competition at Cannes in May, winning the special jury prize and Fipresci award.

Germany has enjoyed a strong track record in the best international feature film category of the Oscars, securing a nomination at the most recent awards in March with llker Catak’s The Teachers’ Lounge and winning in 2023 with Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front. The country has secured two further nominations in the previous decade: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Never Look Away and Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann.

Promotional body German Films have said the 13-strong selection for this year, submitted by German producers, comprise:

  • The Investigation, RP Kahl (Film Mischwaren)
  • The Glory Of Life, Georg Maas, Judith Kaufmann (Tempest Filmproduktion)
  • Femocracy II, Torsten Körner (Broadview TV)
  • Goebbels And The Führer, Joachim A. Lang (Zeitsprung Pictures)
  • Hollywoodgate, Ibrahim Nash’at (Rolling Narratives)
  • In The Blind Spot, Ayse Polat (mîtos film)
  • From Hilde, With Love, Andreas Dresen (Pandora Film Produktion)
  • Sad Jokes, Fabian Stumm (Postofilm)
  • Stella. A Life, Kilian Riedhof (Letterbox Filmproduktion)
  • Dying, Matthias Glasner (Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion)
  • Silence, Erik Borner (Bluescreen Entertainment)
  • The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, Mohammad Rasoulof (Run Way Pictures)
  • Two To One, Natja Brunckhorst (zischlermann filmproduktion)

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to be announced on December 17, with the final five nominees announced on January 17, 2025.

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