Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will attend Friday’s Cannes screening of his competition movie, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Last week, Rasoulof announced that he had left Iran and was staying in an “undisclosed location in Europe,” according to a statement shared with the international press. His representatives confirmed to Deadline that he will be present at the screening.
Rasoulof’s departure to Europe comes a week after his lawyer revealed that Iranian authorities had sentenced the filmmaker to eight years in prison for “signing statements and making films and documentaries.” Shortly after this sentence was announced, The Seed of the Sacred Fig was selected for competition at Cannes.
The film follows an investigating judge in Tehran who grapples with paranoia as nationwide political protests escalate and his gun mysteriously disappears. Throughout his career, Rasoulof has been targeted by Iran’s hardline Islamic Republic government for his critical stance against its authoritarian rule. In July 2022, he was arrested for signing a petition titled “Lay Down Your Arms,” urging security forces to show restraint during popular protests. He was temporarily released in February 2023 due to ill health and has been under house arrest since then.
Rasoulof, one of Iran’s most prominent directors, has a long-standing relationship with Cannes. His films Manuscripts Don’t Burn (2013) and A Man Of Integrity (2017) premiered in Un Certain Regard, winning the Fipresci Prize and the best film prize, respectively. Despite being invited to serve on the Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury last year, Rasoulof was unable to attend after being barred from leaving Iran.
