Mohammad Rasoulof to Voice of America: I Have Received My Main Award

Mohammad Rasoulof, the renowned Iranian filmmaker, who is attending the Cannes Film Festival with his new film titled "The Fig Seed of Temples," told Voice of America before the closing ceremony of the event that he has "received his main award." Mr. Rasoulof, who secretly left Iran last week, is considered one of the main contenders for the award in the main competitive section of the Cannes Festival. The Iranian filmmaker expressed that he received his award when he completed the film and is very happy about it. He further explained that with the completion of "The Fig Seed of Temples," the efforts of the crew and contributors who are in Iran and played a much more significant role in making the film have gained global recognition. Mr. Rasoulof also stated that this film will soon be available to the people of Iran, and this is the greatest award he receives, with other events being "a bonus." The closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival will begin on Saturday at 6:45 PM local time in Cannes. On Friday, Mohammad Rasoulof appeared on the red carpet of the festival alongside Golshifteh Farahani, an Iranian actress, and several crew members and actors from his film, responding to the emotions of the attendees. He attended the ceremony while holding images of Soheila Golestani and Misaq Zare, actors from the film, who are under pressure from the Islamic Republic and could not leave Iran. Mr. Rasoulof mentioned that his new film is about the family of a Revolutionary Court official during the recent nationwide protests in Iran, drawn from his personal experiences with the country's judicial system. "The Fig Seed of Temples" tells the story of a Tehran Revolutionary Court investigating judge named "Iman" who suffers from distrust and paranoia. As political protests in the country escalate, this judge's weapon mysteriously disappears. Judge Iman becomes suspicious of his wife Najmeh and his daughters Rezvan and Thna, leading him to take severe actions at home that increase tensions. After being sentenced to eight years in prison by the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Rasoulof was forced to flee Iran. According to Mr. Rasoulof's lawyer, the 51-year-old filmmaker was convicted for his critical statements against the Islamic Republic's officials and for making underground films in Iran. Mohammad Rasoulof is a well-known figure at the Cannes Festival, making his presence at this artistic event significant. He had been banned from working and leaving the country for seven years but secretly made films underground in Iran. Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture of the Islamic Republic, recently told Iranian state media that Mohammad Rasoulof's new film was made illegally and that the government would deal with the production of unauthorized works. The presence of Mohammad Rasoulof on the red carpet; the exiled Iranian director was applauded at the Cannes Festival. Mohammad Rasoulof's participation in the screening of his film at the Cannes Festival; Hamed Soleiman-Zadeh: It is as important as the screening. The Iranian Artists' Association of Film and Theater Abroad: We are committed to supporting Mohammad Rasoulof and artists under pressure from the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Rasoulof in Germany: My mission is to describe the situation that Iranians are trapped in. The Cannes Film Festival begins; Mohammad Rasoulof and Ali Abbasi compete for the Palme d'Or. The International Coalition of Filmmakers at Risk expressed solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof. After leaving Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof stated: From today, I am a resident of "Cultural Iran" and I am alive to tell the story. The Independent Filmmakers' Association: Rasoulof's sentence shows that the law of the Islamic Republic is merely a tool for stubbornness and revenge against opponents. The Independent Filmmakers' Association of Iran participates in the Cannes Festival with works about "Women, Life, Freedom." The eight-year prison sentence of Mohammad Rasoulof, a critic of the government, was upheld in the appeals court.