Escaped Iranian director presents latest film at Cannes
CANNES
It is one of the most dramatic storylines ever delivered at Cannes: Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof walks the red carpet on May 24 after fleeing a prison sentence just days before the film festival.
"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.
He made a hair-raising escape from Iran on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, and on May 23 presented the premiere of his latest film, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig," competing for the top Palme d'Or prize.
Rasoulof's film, made underground in Iran on a tiny budget, tells the story of a judge's struggles amid political unrest in Tehran.
An outspoken critic of Iran's rulers, the award-winning filmmaker has already served two prison terms over his previous, highly political films and had his passport revoked in 2017.
Rasoulof came under pressure to withdraw his latest film from Cannes, but he already knew during the filming that he faced a new eight-year prison sentence for "collusion against national security", and had hatched a plan to escape.
It took 28 days on the road, moving between border villages, to get out of the country, he told Deadline magazine.
"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.
