A portrait of director Mohammad Rasoulof

Mohammad Rasoulof radiates a dignified calmness on this January morning as he talks via video from Hamburg about his film THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG which is now entering the Oscar race as the German entry. It’s not that easy to rattle the 52-year-old director who has been making films since the 1990s and was repeatedly persecuted as a result in his native Iran – ranging from a ban on making films to serving a prison sentence. This doesn’t not stop him from repeatedly criticising the regime. In his latest feature film which was shot in secret in Iran, he makes it very clear how state power destroys families with its repression as well as the resistance of a young, female generation. When the film was invited to compete in Cannes last May, some of the crew members were put under massive pressure in Iran and Rasoulof himself was sentenced to eight years in prison, a fine and the confiscation of his property. The filmmaker managed to escape and is now living in Hamburg.

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG received the Special Jury Prize in Cannes as well as nominations for four European Film Awards, a Golden Globe and now for the Academy Award in the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category. He shows his delight about the honours with a quiet smile. “I‘m very happy about what has happened. We experienced so many restrictions and so much pressure. But that evidently had a positive influence on the film.” The making of the film itself sounds like a political thriller. Rasoulof shot the film with a small crew over a period of three months. ”We were in constant fear of being arrested at any moment in Iran. We didn‘t know whether we would be able to finish shooting the film. The actors were also under extreme pressure and I did everything I could to support them. The fact that we succeeded with all of this is also down to the people who trusted me and supported me. I couldn‘t have done it without them.”

He’s referring here, in particular, to Mani Tilgner and Rozita Hendijanian of Run Way Pictures, the film’s producers. They’ve known each other for many years, Tilgner was the production manager on Rasoulof‘s Golden Bear winner THERE IS NO EVIL (2020) and Hendijanian a co-producer for A MAN OF INTEGRITY (2017). “The Run Way Pictures team is like a family to me,’ Rasoulof says. ‘They trusted me and took a big risk.”

Another important partner was the editor Andrew Bird, who was already working on the editing in Hamburg parallel to the shooting. “Andrew and I have a long and close friendship that’s characterised by deep trust,” Rasoulof explains. “We sent the footage to Germany every day, initially as low-resolution files, and hid the original files at several places in Iran. Andrew started the rough cut based on the script and we were always in contact via encrypted phone calls and social media. But it was a challenge on many levels, both technically and artistically. This constant uncertainty was only bearable thanks to the mutual support and friendly trust.” About ten days after the end of shooting, the first rough cut of the film was completed. “We could then use this to make a selection from the original footage and get that out of the country with the help of a friend of mine.”

The director is particularly pleased that the film’s success has helped increase international attention to the situation of the Iranian people and the young protest movement. And therefore also put pressure on the regime. But Rasoulof is aware of the fact that it will now be even more difficult for him to return to Iran and make films there in the foreseeable future. “That‘s what I long for, of course. Not a day goes by without me thinking about the place, my life and the people there,” he admits. “At the same time, I‘m now so much at home here in Hamburg that I’m thinking about how I can combine both cultures. When I am travelling abroad, it‘s now impossible for me not to think about Germany as well. It‘s a very interesting experience and also an exciting subject that I hope to portray in a film some day. What does the experience of migration do to people? How can the clash of two cultures be portrayed?’

With the announcement of the Oscar nomination, the final chapter of the awards season is now upon us before the awards ceremony held on 2 March. “We are in close contact with the American distributor Neon who is very supportive of our campaign. So, I‘ll be on the road for some time to come,’ Rasoulof says. With a serene smile.

Thomas Abeltshauser