Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof walks the red carpet on Friday after escaping a prison sentence only days before the film festival, presenting one of the most dramatic tales ever told in Cannes.
“I can’t believe I’m standing here,” AFP journalists heard Rasoulof telling officials as he arrived at the Palais des Festivals on the French Cote d’Azur.
On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, he staged an incredible escape from Iran, and on Friday he will screen his most recent movie, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which is vying for the coveted Palme d’Or award.
Today marks the final day of the festival’s screenings. On Saturday, a jury chaired by “Barbie” filmmaker Greta Gerwig will name the winners from the 22 entries.
The narrative of a judge’s hardships amidst political instability in Tehran is told in Rasoulof’s film, which was shot on a shoestring budget and underground in Iran.
The celebrated director, a vocal opponent of Iran’s leadership, had his passport withdrawn in 2017 and had already served two prison terms for his overtly political earlier films.
Although Rasoulof received pressure to pull his most recent picture from Cannes, he had previously devised an escape strategy and was aware that he would be facing a new eight-year prison sentence for “collusion against national security” at the time of production.
He told Deadline magazine that it took him 28 days to leave the nation while traveling between border settlements.
“The good thing about going to prison in Iran is that you meet all kinds of youthful people who can help you in such conditions,” he told the magazine.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux said he shared the joy of “all festival- goers and all freedom-loving Iranians” over Rasoulof’s arrival.
