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TRENDING
May 13, 2024
Iranian Filmmaker Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison, Flogging and Confiscation of his Property
Iran’s Independent Filmmaker Association criticised the latest sentence handed to the director. It said, “Once again, the judiciary’s verdict against Mohammad Rasoulof proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence.” By: K Dass.
Iran - Mohammad Rasoulof, an Iranian
filmmaker and one of Iran’s leading directors, has been sentenced to eight
years in prison, flogging, a fine, and the confiscation of property. His
lawyer, Babak Paknia, confirmed this judgment. The court of appeal upheld the
sentence, and the case is now being sent for enforcement.
The reasons cited for this harsh punishment include
Rasoulof’s public statements and his continued involvement in making films and
documentaries, which the court described as “examples of collusion with the
intention of committing a crime against the country’s security.” Rasoulof’s
latest film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, was due to premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival, but Iranian authorities pressured the director and the
festival to withdraw it from competition. The film’s key members were banned
from leaving the country and faced investigations by the security forces of the
Ministry of Intelligence.
This isn’t the first time Rasoulof has faced legal
challenges. In the past, he was sentenced to prison for filming without the
correct permit and for “propaganda against the system.” Despite these
obstacles, his work continues to resonate and shed light on important issues in
Iran and beyond.
Rasoulof won a Golden Bear for best film at the
Berlinale festival in 2020 for There Is No Evil and his film A Man of
Integrity was recognised for a Certain Regard honor at Cannes in
2017. The writer-director’s latest work, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is
due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next week.
Ahead of the film’s release, the director and his
production team faced pressure from the Iranian government, his lawyer has
alleged, writing last week on X that some actors had been interrogated and
barred from leaving the country by officials. According to Paknia, some also
alleged they were asked by officials to tell Rasoulof to withdraw the film from
the festival.
