Iran director in exile says 'bittersweet' to rep Germany at Oscars
BERLIN
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig," a paranoid thriller that was shot in secret and depicts a family torn apart by Iran's brutally repressive politics, has earned rave reviews and won many festival prizes, including at Cannes.
But each country can submit just one movie for the best international film Oscar, and in authoritarian countries like Iran, that choice of film is made by state-controlled organizations.
"Of course, it is unimaginable that the Islamic Republic could have submitted a film like this for the Academy Awards," Rasoulof told AFP.
"In fact, if it were possible for the regime to submit it, the film would not have been made in the first place."
Instead, the film has been selected as Germany's entry at the Academy Awards. Germany has become an adopted homeland for Rasoulof. The movie was produced by German and French companies.
"Sacred Fig" now has a strong chance of being nominated at the glitzy Hollywood ceremony, and gaining huge global exposure.
"I'm delighted Germany saw the international scope of the film and opened its arms... it's like shining a torch, a sign to all filmmakers working under duress around the world," Rasoulof said while promoting the film in Los Angeles this month. But "it is bittersweet," he said. "I have got pretty mixed feelings."
The film follows Iman, an ambitious investigator-judge working for the regime, his wife Najmeh, and their two more curious and rebellious young daughters.
Iman is initially conflicted by having to sign death warrants without evidence. But regime pressure mounts on and corrupts him, driving a wedge through the family especially after his gun disappears from the home.
Rasoulof barely managed to attend the film's Cannes premiere in May, after daringly fleeing Iran on foot through treacherous mountain passes just days earlier.
The auteur, who has already spent time in jail, had just been sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for denouncing the "corruption" and "incompetence" of authorities.
Iran's official entry this year is "In The Arms Of The Tree." State media describes it as a drama that showcases "the beauty of this country" and portrays "the authenticity of the Iranian family."