Mohammad Rasoulof to Iranian Filmmakers: “Don’t Be Afraid”

The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the new film from Iranian dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, may or may not be honored tonight when the Cannes jury hands out its awards. But at the press conference for the film on Saturday, Rasoulof displayed his own heroism.

The director used his press conference to call out Iran’s authoritarian regime and to rally his fellow filmmakers to resist.

“My only message to Iranian cinema is don’t be afraid of intimidation and censorship in Iran,” said Rasoulof. “[The regime is] afraid. They’re afraid, and they want us to feel afraid; they want to discourage us. But don’t let yourself be intimidated … but don’t fear the authorities. You have to believe in your liberty. We have to fight for a dignified life.”

Rasoulof embodies this fight. The director fled Iran by foot a few weeks ago, escaping after the regime sentenced him to 8 years in prison. Walking Cannes’ red carpet for the world premiere of Seed of the Sacred Fig Friday night, he held up photos of the film’s two lead actors, Missagh Zareh and Soheila Golestani, who have both been prevented by the authorities from leaving Iran.

At his press conference, Rasoulof was defiant, but also relaxed and confident, joking that his film crew referred to themselves as “the gangsters of cinema” for violating every rule of Iran’s state censorship in the making of the film. (The Seed of the Sacred Fig defies all the official Iranian government taboos by openly criticizing the regime, depicting women and girls not wearing hijabs and showing police violence against peaceful pro-democracy protesters).

“We joked if we wanted to see cocaine, it would have been easier [than making this movie],” Rasoulof quipped.

Now in exile in Germany, the director said he will continue to criticize the Iranian regime from outside the country. “I have joined the cultural Iran that exists outside its borders,” he noted.

While acknowledging, even now, he lives under a real threat of violence, Rasoulof said Tehran’s state terror is actually a show of weakness.

“[The regime] portrays itself as a supreme power, the strongest regime in that region, but they’re afraid of power,” he said. “Why are they so afraid of the stories we tell? Why do they try to repress independent cinema?”

In a rallying call, he told his fellow artists to “remain true to your own beliefs and uphold your freedom of expression.”

Neon snatched up The Seed of the Sacred Fig for North America ahead of its Cannes premiere. Films Boutique is selling the film worldwide.