Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof | Photo credit: LOIC VENANCE

Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will make a challenging appearance at the Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of his latest film. seed of the sacred figRasoulof left Iran secretly after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for making the film.

Despite efforts by Iranian authorities to thwart his presence, Rasoulof successfully reached Europe a few days ago. His escape came after the Islamic Revolutionary Court handed down a harsh sentence to him and then pressured him to return. seed of the sacred fig The authorities also harassed the film’s producers and actors in an attempt to prevent its international release.

seed of the sacred fig The film will be screened in competition at Cannes on May 24 and it will be a big moment for Rasoulof, who will be in attendance at the screening, with the film’s publicist confirming his attendance.

According to sales company Films Boutique, the film follows Iman, a judge at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, who is beset by mistrust and paranoia amid growing political protests. The mysterious disappearance of his gun makes him suspicious of his own family, especially his wife Najmeh and daughters Rezvan and Sana, forcing him to take drastic measures, which increases domestic tensions.

Iranian cinema legend Rasoulof has faced persistent harassment for his work, which has never been shown in his country due to strict censorship. His last confrontation with Iranian authorities was in 2011, when he and fellow director Jafar Panahi were sentenced to prison and banned from filmmaking for alleged anti-regime propaganda. Although Rasoulof’s sentence was later suspended, his passport was confiscated after he returned from the Telluride Film Festival in 2017.