Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof to attend premiere of new film at Cannes

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who recently fled Iran, will be attending the world premiere of his new film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Rasoulof, 52, fled Iran last week after being sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging and confiscation of property by the country's Islamic Revolutionary Court for making the movies and documentaries, according to American news outlet The Hollywood Reporter.

"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" is part of the film gala's competition line-up. It is set to be screened on Friday at Cannes where the filmmaker will also take part in press events and promotion for the movie.

The movie depicts the story of an investigating judge for the Revolutionary Court in Tehran as he grapples with paranoia amidst the nationwide political protests.

He finds himself in conflict with his own family, his wife and two daughters, as the regime cracks down on protesters.

According to the news outlet, Rasoulof escaped Iran by ditching all his trackable electronic devices and fleeing by foot over the mountains out of the country, before finding shelter in Germany.

In a recent interview with British publication The Guardian, Rasoulof said he still expects to return to his home country “quite soon” and sit out his sentence, even though he is aware that his decision to leave will likely earn him a new punishment from the Iranian authorities.

Rasoulof is considered among Iran’s leading filmmakers and one of the most prominent critics of the Tehran regime. He has twice served time in Iranian jails for his films and activism.

In 2020, the director won the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival for his film "There Is No Evil", even though he couldn't attend the festival.

The filmmaker was the latest artist to be targeted Islamic Republic as part of its widening crackdown on all dissent in the following years of mass protests, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. PTI RB RB BK BK