Creators of the film 'My Favorite Cake' sentenced to suspended prison and fines

Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Moghadam, directors of the film 'My Favorite Cake', announced that the court has sentenced them and Gholamreza Mousavi, the producer of the film, to suspended prison sentences and fines. According to the published ruling, these two filmmakers have been sentenced to 14 months of punitive imprisonment, suspended for 5 years, and a fine of 400 million rials for spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion. Additionally, for the charge of 'participating in the production of vulgar content', the two filmmakers and the producer have been sentenced to one year of punitive imprisonment, also suspended for 5 years, and the confiscation of all equipment. These filmmakers have also been fined 200 million rials for the charge of 'screening a film without a screening permit'. The two directors of 'My Favorite Cake' had previously faced restrictions such as passport confiscation and a ban on leaving Iran. The film 'My Favorite Cake', despite receiving a production permit, was made without adhering to the censorship of female actors' hijab, featuring Lili Farhadpour and Ismail Moharabi, and tells the story of a woman who, tired of her monotonous life, wants to spend a night according to her wishes and interests with a man of her age in her home. This film achieved significant success in European screenings, was showcased in the competition section of the Berlin Festival in 2023, won the Best Film award from the FIPRESCI jury, and also received the Silver Hugo award at the Chicago Film Festival. Following the protests of 2022 and influenced by the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, dozens of short and feature films have been made underground in Iran and showcased as representatives of Iran's underground cinema at international festivals.