Staff Editor, Asia
Rasoulof – a mute Director, of the Iran proud
Mohammad Rasoulof, chairman of the New Currents jury at this year's Busan International Film Festival, said the German selection of his latest work, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, as this year's Oscar entry should offer hope to other filmmakers working under strict censorship conditions.
Rasoulof is currently living in exile in Germany after fleeing Iran on the eve of this year's Cannes Film Festival – where The Seed Of The Sacred Fig screened in competition and won a special prize – after Iranian authorities sentenced him to eight years in prison for making the film without a permit.
Germany subsequently selected the film as an entry for the Best International Feature category at the Oscars. There was zero chance that the Iranian government-influenced Oscar selection committee would have chosen the film.
