Days after finishing The Seed of the Sacred Fig, shot in secret, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Court announced that director Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison. His films are considered “examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security” by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic, whose repression and brutality has reached new heights when it comes to all artists.

Faced with this sentence, Rasoulof decided to flee his country, trekking for a perilous 28-days across a mountainous borderland before making his way to Germany – where he currently resides in exile. The German producers and distributor associated with the film allowed it to be eligible for Germany's selection for the 97th Oscars® where it has since secured the nomination for Best International Feature Film for Germany.

Film Synopsis
Iman is promoted to investigating judge at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran just as a huge protest movement sweeps the country following the death of a young woman. As the state cracks down with tougher measures, he sides with the regime, upsetting the balance of his family, as his daughters are swept up in the events and his wife desperately tries to keep everyone together.

Accolades

Nominee • Best International Feature Film at the 97th Oscars®
Winner • Jury Speical Prize, Fipresci Award, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, François Chalais Award, and the AFCAE Award at Cannes 2024
Winner • Best International Film from the National Board of Review, USA
Nominee • Best Motion Picture, Non English Language at the 2025 Golden Globes