Mohammad Rasoulof Says His Struggle with Iran's Judicial System Inspired His New Film

Mohammad Rasoulof, who recently left Iran, announced that his new film, which is competing in the Cannes Film Festival and tells the story of a judge's family amidst the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, is based on his personal experiences with Iran's judicial system. Mr. Rasoulof, who traveled to Cannes for the screening of his film 'The Fig Tree', announced his departure from one of Iran's land borders about 10 days ago through a short video. He later noted that due to being sentenced to eight years in prison, five of which were to be served, along with lashes and fines, he decided to leave the country to make more films that he has ideas for. The premiere of 'The Fig Tree' in the Cannes competition section received applause and a warm welcome from the audience. On Friday, June 4, in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Cannes Festival, he said the initial idea for his new film came to him after several arrests and experiences in prison. This prominent director has been accused of various crimes ranging from producing films without permission to 'acting against national security'. Meanwhile, reports have emerged about the summons and interrogation of the film's crew in Iran and pressure on them to withdraw 'The Fig Tree' from the Cannes Festival. Mohammad Rasoulof won the Golden Bear, the main award at the Berlin Festival, in 2020 for his film 'There Is No Evil', which dealt with the death penalty in Iran. In the interview with Reuters, he said, 'In the past few years, I have been interrogated so much and have gone to court and prison that I have had a lot of contact with the people who run the prisons. I have questions in my mind about the people who help sustain this regime. What do they think? What is their mindset? And what kind of people are they?' The focus of 'The Fig Tree' is on a judge who, while the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests expand in response to the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police, suffers from stress and paranoia. Mr. Rasoulof continued in his interview with Reuters, 'I first came to Cannes 20 years ago, so my presence here is the result of the path I have taken, and I am very happy to be here today.' In recent years, despite severe restrictions in Iran, he pursued several film projects, one of which was intended to be made as an animation. Mr. Rasoulof said, 'I thought to myself that if I go to prison, these stories will remain untold. So I decided to come out and finish the remaining work. If by that time the Islamic Republic still exists and if my sentences are still in place, then the time to go to prison will come.'