CANNES – About 20 minutes after the global press left Thierry Frémaux‘s press conference, they received a news release that Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof had left his country without permission following confirmation of an eight-year prison sentence. Rasoulof’s latest movie, “The Seed of A Sacred Pig,” is in competition at Cannes this year. Less than an hour before this news broke, Frémaux repeated numerous times that he hoped for a festival “without polemics” (essentially, political speech). As ever with Cannes, that is almost inevitably impossible due to its stature as a global cultural event.
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Five days ago, and in a ruling criticized around the world, Rasoulof was sentenced to jail time as well as flogging, a fine, and confiscation of property by Iran’s Revolutionary Court. As Rasoulof’s lawyer Babak Paknia noted, “The main reason for issuing this sentence is for signing statements and making films and documentaries. In the court’s opinion, these actions were examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security.”
Banned from leaving Iran since 2017, Rasoulof has found a way to get out of his homeland without a passport. His representatives say he is now in an undisclosed location in Europe. They also teased the filmmaker may attempt to present his film at its world premiere at Cannes on Friday, May 24. Even assuming he’s been granted asylum by an E.U. nation, Rasoulof’s presence would still be a political powder keg for the French government to deal with.
Earlier, Frémaux had been asked by a journalist why Rasoulof’s film had been slated for the last day of the festival when many of the global press would no longer be in Cannes. In their view, it would not give his situation or movie the spotlight it deserves.
The always blunt Frémaux seemed to take offense to the inquiry responding through a translator, “I’m surprised by your question. Why is the film being screened on the last day? That’s what interests you? It’s not talking about the film and the director? I’m surprised by your question. The film was not ready beforehand. The film was quite an acrobatic feat in its making. I was asked to schedule it on the last day. It was for technical reasons, in fact.”
It seems those technical reasons may have been the fact Rasoulof was in the process of getting to safety.
Frémaux went on to say the real question the reporter should be asking is about his sentence and the conditions he was forced to endure to make the movie in Iran. Conditions he says “Sacred Pig” depicts. In his words, the film chronicles how “insidiously the Iranian dictatorship creeps into families. It’s an important film.” And, lastly, “The journalists who leave should stay longer because it’s a beautiful film.”
Later during the press conference, the General Delegate of the Cannes Film Festival went into a long soliloquy about during planning for this year’s festival last summer, the organization hoped for a 2024 edition free of “polemics.” He noted, “I said we wanted a festival without polemics, but that doesn’t mean there would be.” With two public ceremonies broadcast on French Television and multiple red carpets every night, there are numerous opportunities for the festival to be a hot spot for “Free Gaza” protests and the growing #MeToo movement centered on the French Film Industry.
There’s also the threat of a strike from the festival’s “temporary workers,” also known as Collectif des précaires des festivals de cinéma, but Frémaux says it’s not an issue they have control of. There is hope a potential work stoppage will be mitigated in June, after the festival. That being said, their issues are centered around how they are classified as employees and the French Ministry of Labor may need to get involved. Frémaux noted that the “participation of young workers, young people who come for short contracts to Cannes and other venues — we festival organizers need these highly qualified technicians who are here to help us with the organization.”
He added, “They are part and parcel of the group who want to be given status, asking for better professional status and better labor conditions.”
As for #MeToo, there has been a wave of recent reports of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior in the French movie and television industries. Judith Godrèche, a champion and organizer of the movement, is scheduled to premiere her short film “Moi Aussi,” at the beginning of the Un Certain Regard program on Wednesday. There have been rumors that a list of new accusers would be released to coincide with Godrèche‘s short debut. If those accused are filmmakers or talent with movies at the festival, the organization would have some tough decisions to make.
As for Rasoulof, here’s his official statement dated May 12:
“I arrived in Europe a few days ago after a long and complicated journey.
About a month ago, my lawyers informed me that my eight-year prison sentence was confirmed in the court of appeal and would be implemented on short notice. Knowing that
the news of my new film would be revealed very soon, I knew that without a doubt, a new sentence would be added to these eight years. I didn’t have much time to make a decision. I had to choose between prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile. The Islamic Republic confiscated my passport in September 2017. Therefore, I had to leave Iran secretly
Of course, I strongly object to the unjust recent ruling against me that forces me into exile. However, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic has issued so many cruel and strange decisions that I do not feel it is my place to complain about my sentence. Death sentences are being executed as the Islamic Republic has targeted the lives of protesters and civil rights activists. It’s hard to believe, but right now as I’m writing this, the young rapper, Toomaj Salehi is held in prison and has been sentenced to death. The scope and intensity of repression has reached a point of brutality where people expect news of another heinous government crime every day. The criminal machine of the Islamic Republic is continuously and systematically violating human rights.
Before the Islamic Republic’s intelligence services were informed about my film’s production, a number of the actors managed to leave Iran. However, many of the actors and agents of the film are still in Iran and the intelligence system is pressuring them. They have been put through lengthy interrogations. The families of some of them were summoned and threatened. Due to their appearance in this movie, court cases were filed against them, and they were banned from leaving the country. They raided the office of the cinematographer, and all his work equipment was taken away. They also prevented the film’s sound engineer from traveling to Canada. During the interrogations of the film crew, the intelligence forces asked them to pressure me to withdraw the film from the Cannes Festival. They were trying to convince the film crew that they were not aware of the film’s story and that they had been manipulated into participating in the project.
Despite the vast limitations I and my colleagues and friends faced while making the film, I tried to achieve a cinematic narrative that is far from the narrative dominated by the censorship in the Islamic Republic, and closer to its reality. I have no doubt that restricting and suppressing freedom of expression cannot be justified even if it becomes a spur for creativity, but when there is no way, a way must be made.
The world’s cinema community must ensure effective support for the makers of such films. Freedom of speech should be defended, loudly and clearly. People who courageously and selflessly confront censorship instead of supporting it are reassured of the importance of their actions by the support of international film organizations. As I know from personal experience, it can be an invaluable help for them to continue their vital work.
Many people helped to make this film. My thoughts are with all of them, and I fear for their safety and well-being.”