His new film, The seed of the holy fig, is in the Cannes Film Festival selection this year. Famous Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, whose latest film will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, has been sentenced to five years in prison by an Iranian court, his lawyer said on Wednesday, May 8. The director, who has won awards at international festivals, was also sentenced to lashes, a fine and the confiscation of his property, said Mr. Babak Paknia.
This verdict was not reported by official Iranian media. His lawyer said the court imposed a prison sentence of eight years, with five years applicable, and the sentence was upheld on appeal at an unspecified date.
Mohammad Rasoulof, 52, was arrested in July 2022 for encouraging demonstrations sparked after the collapse of a building in southwestern Iran that killed more than 40 people in May. Following this tragedy, a group of Iranian filmmakers led by Mohammad Rasoulof published an open letter calling on security forces “lay down the weapons” in the face of national outrage against “la corruption” et “Incompetence” the responsible.
He was invited to Cannes in 2023 as a member of a jury, but was unable to make the trip due to a travel ban.
The 77th Cannes Film Festival, which begins May 14 in the south of France, has added Mohammad Rasoulof’s new film: The seed of the holy fig, in the selection. This filmmaker was the winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes in 2017 (A man of integrity), then the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2020 (The devil doesn’t exist).
