Cannes Film Festival Begins; Mohammad Rasoulof and Ali Abbasi Compete for the Palme d'Or

The 77th Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday, May 16, in this coastal city of France. The opening ceremony, which was organized with great excitement, unveiled the jury headed by Greta Gerwig, and American actress Meryl Streep received the honorary Palme d'Or for lifetime artistic achievement. During a friendly Q&A session on Wednesday, Streep shared stories from her years of fruitful artistic activity and memories with the audience. She also mentioned the significant advancements of women in the film industry, stating, "The biggest stars in the world right now are women." Streep noted that in the past, film studios were controlled by men, but today the situation has changed, and women are influential in various sectors of the film industry. Greta Gerwig, who gained global fame directing the film "Barbie," is the first American female filmmaker to be selected as the head of the jury for the main competitive section of the Cannes Festival. Other members of this jury include Lily Gladstone, Eva Green, Omar Sy, Ebru Şahin, Nadine Labaki, Juan Antonio Bayona, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Kore-eda Hiroshi. This year, we will also witness the screening of works by prominent filmmakers from around the world, including Sean Baker, Andrea Arnold, Magnus von Horn, Francis Ford Coppola, Paolo Sorrentino, and Yorgos Lanthimos, in the main competitive section of the festival. One interesting point is the presence of Mohammad Rasoulof and Ali Abbasi, two Iranian filmmakers, competing for this year's Palme d'Or. Mohammad Rasoulof is participating with his film "Fig Tree Seeds." He has been banned from working and leaving the country for the past seven years due to his anti-government statements, and he announced on Monday that he had illegally left the country and chosen a life in exile. Rasoulof's departure from Iran received significant media attention, and his presence at this artistic event is undoubtedly one of the most important news stories of the festival. There is still no information about the subject, story, or how "Fig Tree Seeds" was produced, but it is said to be a sharp critical work against the Islamic Republic. On Monday, April 24, Rasoulof announced his secret departure from Iran via a short video from an unspecified location, stating that he had reluctantly chosen a life in exile. He referred to the repeated confiscation of his passport and the raids by Islamic Republic agents on his home over the years, addressing the authorities of the Islamic Republic by saying that now, like "millions of Iranians who were forced to leave Iran due to your oppression and brutality," he has crossed the geographical borders of Iran "under the boots of your religious tyranny" and is "now a resident of my cultural Iran." Mr. Rasoulof further stated in his Instagram post, "I must quickly complete the final technical stages of post-production for Fig Tree Seeds." Mohammad Rasoulof is a prominent critic of the Islamic Republic who has been imprisoned multiple times for his statements. He made Fig Tree Seeds secretly and underground in Iran, like some of his previous works. Ali Abbasi, a Danish-Iranian filmmaker, is participating in the main competitive section of the festival with his film "The Apprentice." This film, starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan, depicts part of the youth of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The story focuses on Trump's early business activities in New York during the 1970s and 1980s and his economic relationships with a controversial lawyer named Roy Cohn. "The Apprentice" is the title of a reality television program that Donald Trump hosted and produced, which aired for fifteen seasons in the United States and many countries around the world. Ali Abbasi is a well-known name at the Cannes Festival, and his previous film "Holy Spider" received significant acclaim from critics and audiences two years ago. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, a renowned Iranian actress, won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her performance in this film, which depicted religious murders in the city of Mashhad. This year, the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran (IFMA) is also participating in the Cannes Film Market. This is the second year that IFMA has attended this prestigious artistic event, showcasing independent Iranian cinema. Mahshid Zamani, a film critic and member of the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran, told Voice of America, "The events and screenings of films designed by IFMA at the Cannes Film Market emphasize reflecting the true image of Iranian society by independent Iranian filmmakers and the impact of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement on Iranian cinema." She added, "We have had the honor of supporting and presenting some works of independent Iranian cinema over the past two years. This is the path that independent Iranian artists have taken under the influence of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement; a path that moves forward without the possibility of any retreat or compromise with government censorship." Mahshid Zamani spoke about the role and importance of the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran's programs in raising awareness about the status of Iranian cinema at global festivals, stating, "Our association has been very impactful in this short time since its establishment, meaning that in addition to supporting independent cinema, we have succeeded in neutralizing the propaganda and advertising of the Islamic government about filmmaking and presenting a distorted image of Iranian society in our films at global festivals." This report uses materials from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Voice of America reports. The International Coalition of Filmmakers at Risk expressed solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof after his departure from Iran: "From today, I am a resident of 'Cultural Iran' and I am alive to tell my story." Filmmakers of the film "Huban" focusing on "Women, Life, Freedom," Hamid Maslahi: "I could not remain indifferent to this movement." The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran participates in Cannes with works about "Women, Life, Freedom." The eight-year prison sentence of Mohammad Rasoulof, a government-critical filmmaker, was upheld in an appeals court. The Best Editing and Best Documentary awards of German cinema were awarded to the film "Seven Winters in Tehran." Marjan Satrapi won the Asturias Princess Award in Spain. The performance of the play "Death is Knocking" in Cologne; Mehdi Akbari: "Iranian theater abroad continues with the support of love." The film "My Favorite Cake" is in three global festivals; the creators are still banned from leaving the country. Screening of the documentary "Revolution on Canvas" about Nikzad Najumi; Sara Najumi: "This is a political, artistic, and personal work."