Director Mohammad Rasoulof poses for a portrait photo for the film ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ at the 77th International Film Festival, Cannes, Southern France, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Photo credit: Vianne Le Carré

Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof arrived at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday after making a dramatic escape from his homeland following an eight-year prison sentence.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here,” AFP journalists heard him saying to officials at the Palais des Festivals, where the world’s biggest film festival is being held.

He declined reporters’ questions ahead of the premiere of his new film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which is competing on Friday for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.

It is the story of a judge’s struggle amid political unrest in Tehran. Rasoulof was under pressure to withdraw it from Cannes before the festival began.

The award-winning filmmaker – a vocal critic of the Iranian regime – was sentenced earlier this month to eight years in prison on charges of “colluding against national security”. He has already served two prison terms for his films and criticism of the government, and had his passport revoked in 2017.

But on the eve of the festival last week, Rasoulof revealed he had escaped Iran, telling The Guardian he had made an “exhausting and extremely dangerous” journey on foot.

“We are particularly overwhelmed to welcome (Rasoulof) here as a filmmaker. Our joy will be for all festival visitors and all freedom-loving Iranians,” Fremaux told AFP earlier this week.

“We would like to reaffirm the Cannes Film Festival’s support for all artists around the world who face violence and retaliation in the expression of their art.”

Rasoulof told AFP last week that he worried about the “safety and well-being” of fellow filmmakers in Iran.

“The global film community should provide strong support to the makers of these films,” he said in a statement.

Rasoulof won the Berlin Film Festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear, for “There Is No Evil” in 2020 and won the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2017 with “A Man of Integrity.”