News culture This fugitive director fled his country to present his film at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes is the Croisette, the red carpet and the stairs, the stars and the films. But it is also a time when artists get their messages across. One of the most powerful moments this year was undoubtedly the presence of this director who fled his own country to be able to present his film.
Convicted, he leaves his country to present his film in Cannes
These last ten days have taken place the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival
Many stars, directors, journalists, photographers and the audience followed this new edition under the sign of Presence of Mohammad Rassoulof, director of The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Seeds of the wild fig tree). Awarded the Special Jury PrizeThe Iranian director caused a stir with his simple presence.
Sentenced to eight years in prison, including five years for “Collusion against national security“in Iran, he illegally crossed the mountains and the Iranian border himself to present his film in the South of France. The latter immerses us in a Tehran driven by political and social unrest. When the investigating judge Iman When he realizes that his weapon is missing, he suspects his wife and daughterswhich imposes draconian measures that strain family ties.
Photo credit: EPA/MAXPPP
A highly political film and a moving speech
A film considered powerful that speaks of freedom and women, from a director whose work is massively rejected in Iran because they have a “Propaganda against the regime“In his speech, he wanted to put words to this situation. When he said that he was very happy to have presented his film in Cannes and to have won a prize, he wanted to pay tribute to a whole section of his team. who were being held in Iran and put under pressure by the secret services
But I am also very sad and deeply grieved by the catastrophe that my people are experiencing every day. (…) I can simply tell you that my people, the Iranian people, are being held hostage by this regime of the Islamic Republic. I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again all the people who made this film possible and all those young women whose courage and boundless audacity inspired this film.
Wild fig seeds is very reminiscent of the movement “Women, Life, Freedom”, the Kurdish political slogan picked up during the protests in 2022 across Iran after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini and against the existing government.
