Exclusive; Mohammad Rasoulof: The Islamic Republic is in the minority, the people of Iran want freedom and democracy

Mohammad Rasoulof, the renowned Iranian filmmaker who won the Jury's Special Prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his film "The Fig Tree Seeds of Temples," stated in an exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the Islamic Republic is currently a minority against the majority, and the people of Iran want freedom and democracy. He noted that the film "The Fig Tree Seeds of Temples" is about subservience, adding that the film's temporal context is about creating doubt in subservience and breaking the cycle that the political current has created during this period. Mr. Rasoulof emphasized that Generation Z no longer accepts those rules, and despite everything the Islamic Republic does, it has no way to impose restrictions anymore. This prominent Iranian filmmaker stressed that the Islamic Republic is currently a minority against the majority of the people, saying that they themselves know this well and are trying to delay their fate and constantly work on this. He likened the Islamic Republic to a machine moving on a road or in a desert, indicating that if it does nothing, it will stop, and added: the passengers of this machine are in the minority, while the rest are waiting for this machine to stop. Mohammad Rasoulof insisted that the people of Iran want freedom and democracy, adding that people do not want their religion to be under political pressure. They want to choose for themselves, as you often hear from people that Islam is not what they are practicing. He confirmed that his film is somewhat a feminine work, stating: I owed a debt to women and always felt ashamed that my stories were so masculine. When the movement (the Women, Life, Freedom movement) occurred, I was in prison and was experiencing it through its impacts. For instance, four people were arrested, and I would ask them what was happening outside and would hear explanations. Mr. Rasoulof added that there were other communication tools that allowed one to somewhat understand the conditions outside, but ultimately there were limitations. However, he and Jafar Panahi had the chance to be alongside Dr. (Saeed) Madani, who is an extraordinary sociologist, and they learned from him every day. He also mentioned that very interesting people had been imprisoned, who stripped the experience of prison of its meaning as sometimes discussed, and said: the impact that the movement had on the prison atmosphere was actually the first spark that made me think about how to incorporate this existence into the story without having direct involvement in this existence and to bring its impact into the narrative. Mohammad Rasoulof discussed how he managed to keep the limitations arising from covert work on his film unnoticed, saying: I always do this from the screenplay stage. For example, in the falling scene, this was done by Mithaq (the film's actress) herself because we were afraid. For instance, if the authorities came to the scene, they would realize that I was present working on the film. Therefore, the kids gathered, and Mithaq said she would perform the scene herself. Then, with the help of the scene kids and the actress, that scene was executed very dangerously and difficultly. This prominent Iranian filmmaker spoke about the message of hope in the film "The Fig Tree Seeds of Temples," stating: hope comes from the prison and experience. Once, Dr. Madani told me that societal hopelessness is meaningless. Society is always hopeful. I do not know what scientific factors Dr. Madani used to say this, but I brought it with me outside of prison. After receiving the Jury's Special Prize at the Cannes Festival, which was accompanied by a long applause from the audience, he said: "First of all, I want to remember the film crew and actors who could not attend the festival and are under severe pressure from security institutions in Iran, from actors, cinematographers, sound engineers, and all those who helped, and are under the pressure of the oppressive and tyrannical regime of the Islamic Republic there." Mr. Rasoulof added: "I have a dual feeling; I am happy to receive this award, and at the same time, my heart is with my people in Iran who wake up every day, every hour, and every morning to a catastrophe." He said: "I know that the situation in the world in various parts can be distressing, but regarding Iran, I can say that the people of Iran have been taken hostage."