Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to eight years in prison; know details

One of Iran’s leading filmmakers, Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging , a fine and the confiscation of his property. The update was confirmed by the director’s lawyer on X.

Iranian filmmaker sentenced

Babak Paknia, a human rights lawyer representing Rasoulof, shared that the judgement was confirmed in a court of appeal. The case has now been sent for enforcement. The lawyer further said that the main reasons given for the punishment were Rasoulof’s public statements, as well as his continued involvement in making films and documentaries which the court described as examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security.

More about the controversy

Rasoulof’s film, ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ has been selected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next week. The director has been facing pressure from his country to pull the film from the competition.

Even the producers of the film have reported facing harassment from the authorities. The actors of the film were reportedly summoned for questioning and banned from leaving the country.

About Mohammad Rasoulof

52-year-old filmmaker has been facing punishments from the Iranian authorities for his cinematic expressions. In 2010, he was sentenced to six years in prison which was later reduced to one year. In 2017, Rasoulof was banned from leaving the country and his passport was confiscated. In 2019, he was again sentenced to a one-year prison term and a two-year ban on leaving the country, a punishment in connection of his film, ‘A Man of Integrity’. In 2020, he was once again sentenced to a year in prison and a two-year film-making ban, due to which the director couldn’t attend the Berlin film festival in February 2020. His film, ‘There is No Evil’ won the Golden Bear award for his film at the event.

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