Fledgling US distributor and international sales agency The Forge, led by longtime producer and Vashon Island Film Festival director Mark Mathias Sayre, is heading to Cannes with a slate including Civil War epic Freedom’s Path.
Brett Smith’s drama stars Gerran Howell, Rj Cyler, and Ewen Bremner and centres on a Union solider who flees battle and is rescued by a free Black man operating a section of the Underground Railroad.
The roster includes Matthew Mishory’s documentary Fioretta, which will open in the US through Gravitas Ventures and profiles lawyer and philanthropist Randy Schoenberg’s search for his oldest recorded ancestor.
Brett Smith’s drama stars Gerran Howell, Rj Cyler, and Ewen Bremner and centres on a Union solider who flees battle and is rescued by a free Black man operating a section of the Underground Railroad.
The roster includes Matthew Mishory’s documentary Fioretta, which will open in the US through Gravitas Ventures and profiles lawyer and philanthropist Randy Schoenberg’s search for his oldest recorded ancestor.
- 5/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
Heading into Cannes Yellow Veil Pictures has boarded worldwide sales and will handle North American distribution on Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky’s stoner comedy Rats!
Inspired by the DIY filmmaker scene that came out of Austin, Texas in the 1990s the feature centres on Raphael, who after being busted by an overzealous police officer becomes embroiled in the world of drug kingpins, ecoterrorists, mallrats, and proto-soundcloud rappers.
Set in 2007, Rats! Is set to a score of Epitaph Records bands like From First to Last, The Blood Brothers, and Thursday, as well as an original song by Ka5sh featuring Lil B The BasedGod.
Inspired by the DIY filmmaker scene that came out of Austin, Texas in the 1990s the feature centres on Raphael, who after being busted by an overzealous police officer becomes embroiled in the world of drug kingpins, ecoterrorists, mallrats, and proto-soundcloud rappers.
Set in 2007, Rats! Is set to a score of Epitaph Records bands like From First to Last, The Blood Brothers, and Thursday, as well as an original song by Ka5sh featuring Lil B The BasedGod.
- 5/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based Films Boutique has secured world sales rights to Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig ahead of its premiere in Competition at Cannes, and has closed a distribution deal in France.
The latest feature by the Iranian auteur, who has faced censorship challenges in Iran for nearly 20 years, has been sold to Pyramide Distribution for release in France.
The story centres on Iman, an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, who grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears. Suspecting the involvement of his wife Najmeh and his daughters Rezvan and Sana,...
The latest feature by the Iranian auteur, who has faced censorship challenges in Iran for nearly 20 years, has been sold to Pyramide Distribution for release in France.
The story centres on Iman, an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, who grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears. Suspecting the involvement of his wife Najmeh and his daughters Rezvan and Sana,...
- 5/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Killing of a Sacred Dear: Hamaguchi Explores Ills of Urbanization
Ryūsuke Hamaguchi explores the doctrine about the absence of evil in his latest drama Evil Does Not Exist, a quiet film pondering the necessary evils of urban development and tourism on a small, Japanese village when a corporation aims to establish a glamping hotel in their midst. Like Mohammad Rasoulof’s 2020 Golden Bear Winner There Is No Evil, Hamaguchi’s overarching theme taps into the same ‘absence of good’ philosophy expounded upon from Nietzsche to Einstein, with roots reaching all the way back to Plato. In short, as this film also depicts, there are no innately evil people, only self-serving, ignorant humans who are, also, not inherently good.…...
Ryūsuke Hamaguchi explores the doctrine about the absence of evil in his latest drama Evil Does Not Exist, a quiet film pondering the necessary evils of urban development and tourism on a small, Japanese village when a corporation aims to establish a glamping hotel in their midst. Like Mohammad Rasoulof’s 2020 Golden Bear Winner There Is No Evil, Hamaguchi’s overarching theme taps into the same ‘absence of good’ philosophy expounded upon from Nietzsche to Einstein, with roots reaching all the way back to Plato. In short, as this film also depicts, there are no innately evil people, only self-serving, ignorant humans who are, also, not inherently good.…...
- 5/2/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Meryl Streep is set to receive the highest honor at the Cannes 2024 ceremony.
The Oscar winner has been announced to be feted with the honorary Palme d’Or on the opening night of the 77th annual festival; Variety first reported the news. Streep has not been to Cannes in exactly 35 years, since winning best actress for 1989’s “Evil Angels a Cry in the Dark” directed by Fred Schepisi.
Michael Douglas received the opening ceremony honorary Palme d’Or award in 2023.
Streep’s career has ranged from Academy Award-nominated turns in dramas such as “Sophie’s Choice” to musicals like “Into the Woods.” Streep’s rom-com efforts have marked collaborations with Nancy Meyers and other iconic filmmakers. She most recently starred in Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building,” following her former “Big Little Lies” TV role. Streep was recently honored by the Academy Museum Gala in 2023 for her career achievements.
As previously announced,...
The Oscar winner has been announced to be feted with the honorary Palme d’Or on the opening night of the 77th annual festival; Variety first reported the news. Streep has not been to Cannes in exactly 35 years, since winning best actress for 1989’s “Evil Angels a Cry in the Dark” directed by Fred Schepisi.
Michael Douglas received the opening ceremony honorary Palme d’Or award in 2023.
Streep’s career has ranged from Academy Award-nominated turns in dramas such as “Sophie’s Choice” to musicals like “Into the Woods.” Streep’s rom-com efforts have marked collaborations with Nancy Meyers and other iconic filmmakers. She most recently starred in Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building,” following her former “Big Little Lies” TV role. Streep was recently honored by the Academy Museum Gala in 2023 for her career achievements.
As previously announced,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Iranian authorities are exerting heavy pressure on director Mohammad Rasoulof to pull his latest work “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from the Cannes Film Festival by harassing the film’s producers and actors who have been summoned for questioning and banned from leaving the country.
Human rights lawyer Babak Paknia, who is Rasoulof’s lawyer, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that several unspecified actors and producers on “Sacred Fig” were summoned and questioned last week by authorities. He added that Iran’s authorities also pressured them to convince Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival.
Furthermore, “Some of the film’s actors have been banned from leaving, and according to their statements, after several hours of interrogation, they were asked to ask the director to remove the film from the Cannes festival,” Paknia said in the X post on Tuesday.
Rasoulof’s lawyer...
Human rights lawyer Babak Paknia, who is Rasoulof’s lawyer, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that several unspecified actors and producers on “Sacred Fig” were summoned and questioned last week by authorities. He added that Iran’s authorities also pressured them to convince Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival.
Furthermore, “Some of the film’s actors have been banned from leaving, and according to their statements, after several hours of interrogation, they were asked to ask the director to remove the film from the Cannes festival,” Paknia said in the X post on Tuesday.
Rasoulof’s lawyer...
- 5/2/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival has announced its all-star lineup of jurors to decide this year’s Palme d’Or.
As previously announced, “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president. Fellow recent Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone is part of the jury, as well as writer/director J.A. Bayona, Eva Green, Omar Sy, Pierfrancisco Favino, director Kore-eda Hirokazu, screenwriter Nadine Labaki, and screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan.
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival will take place May 14-25. The jury will have the honor of awarding the Palme d’Or to one of the 22 films in competition, with contenders including Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” and Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada.”
New films from Paolo Sorrentino (“Parthenope”), Mohammad Rasoulof (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”), Karim Aïnouz (“Motel Destino”), and Andrea Arnold (“Bird”) are also debuting in competition.
As previously announced, “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president. Fellow recent Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone is part of the jury, as well as writer/director J.A. Bayona, Eva Green, Omar Sy, Pierfrancisco Favino, director Kore-eda Hirokazu, screenwriter Nadine Labaki, and screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan.
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival will take place May 14-25. The jury will have the honor of awarding the Palme d’Or to one of the 22 films in competition, with contenders including Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” and Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada.”
New films from Paolo Sorrentino (“Parthenope”), Mohammad Rasoulof (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”), Karim Aïnouz (“Motel Destino”), and Andrea Arnold (“Bird”) are also debuting in competition.
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The full Cannes Film Festival competition jury has been revealed.
Joining president Greta Gerwig to award this year’s Palme d’Or will be “Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone; “The Three Musketeers” star Eva Green; “Lupin” lead Omar Sy; Ebru Ceylan, who co-wrote the 2014 Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep”; director Nadine Labaki, whose “Capernaum” won the Cannes jury prize in 2018; director Juan Antonio Bayona, whose latest film “Society of the Snow” was Oscar-nominated for best international feature; Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, who will next appear in Pablo Larraìn’s “Maria” alongside Angelina Jolie; and director Kore-eda Hirokazu, director of the 2018 Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.”
The competition lineup for the upcoming festival includes “All We Imagine as Light” by Payal Kapadia; Sean Baker’s “Anora”; Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” from Ali Abbasi; Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski; “Caught by the Tides...
Joining president Greta Gerwig to award this year’s Palme d’Or will be “Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone; “The Three Musketeers” star Eva Green; “Lupin” lead Omar Sy; Ebru Ceylan, who co-wrote the 2014 Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep”; director Nadine Labaki, whose “Capernaum” won the Cannes jury prize in 2018; director Juan Antonio Bayona, whose latest film “Society of the Snow” was Oscar-nominated for best international feature; Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, who will next appear in Pablo Larraìn’s “Maria” alongside Angelina Jolie; and director Kore-eda Hirokazu, director of the 2018 Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.”
The competition lineup for the upcoming festival includes “All We Imagine as Light” by Payal Kapadia; Sean Baker’s “Anora”; Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” from Ali Abbasi; Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski; “Caught by the Tides...
- 4/29/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival lineup was finally revealed at the sliver of dawn on Thursday, April 11. Festival director Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch unveiled this year’s crop of films across the many sections, from the Competition to Un Certain Regard, during a press conference beginning at 5 a.m. Et. See the full lineup below.
The 77th edition of Cannes comes to the Côte d’Azur May 14 through 25, and a few titles were already confirmed to be in the mix. There’s Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded epic “Megalopolis,” which has already screened for a rarified few in the United States to much awe and speculation over what distributor might take on Coppola’s experimental vision. For his first feature since 2011’s “Twixt,” Coppola gathered a cast including Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia Labeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, and Jason Schwartzman for a sci-fi vision of a ruined NYC-like metropolis.
The 77th edition of Cannes comes to the Côte d’Azur May 14 through 25, and a few titles were already confirmed to be in the mix. There’s Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded epic “Megalopolis,” which has already screened for a rarified few in the United States to much awe and speculation over what distributor might take on Coppola’s experimental vision. For his first feature since 2011’s “Twixt,” Coppola gathered a cast including Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia Labeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, and Jason Schwartzman for a sci-fi vision of a ruined NYC-like metropolis.
- 4/22/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Today we’ve got a baker’s dozen thirteen added to the Cannes 2024 edition. We learned beforehand that Mohammad Rasoulof and Michel Hazanavicius we competition entries and one more title trickled in from Romanian actor/director Emanuel Parvu and his Trois kilomètres jusqu’à la fin du monde — a drama featuring Bogdan Dumitrache, Laura Vasiliu and Ciprian Chiujdea. This tells the story of Adi, a teenager from a village in the Danube Delta, who, through the efforts of his parents, studies in Tulcea. When the parents are confronted with a truth they are unable to understand, the unconditional love he should receive from them suddenly disappears, and Adi is left with only one solution.…...
- 4/22/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Sean Baker is officially returning to Cannes with his new rom-com “Anora.”
While the plot details remain under wraps, the feature is billed as an adventure rom-com, with the first look image showing a neon-lit club scene. Baker writes and directs the feature, which will debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The cast includes Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karen Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan. Drew Daniels served as director of photography and shot the feature on 35mm film. The feature was filmed in Brooklyn and will be released by Neon later this year.
“Making an independent film is never easy no matter how many you have under your belt!” Baker said in a 2023 press statement (via Variety). “I feel so fortunate to have been given the resources and support to fulfill my vision in an uncompromised way. Thank you to my collaborators including Glen Basner and the FilmNation team,...
While the plot details remain under wraps, the feature is billed as an adventure rom-com, with the first look image showing a neon-lit club scene. Baker writes and directs the feature, which will debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The cast includes Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karen Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan. Drew Daniels served as director of photography and shot the feature on 35mm film. The feature was filmed in Brooklyn and will be released by Neon later this year.
“Making an independent film is never easy no matter how many you have under your belt!” Baker said in a 2023 press statement (via Variety). “I feel so fortunate to have been given the resources and support to fulfill my vision in an uncompromised way. Thank you to my collaborators including Glen Basner and the FilmNation team,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled new additions to the Official Selection for its upcoming 77th edition from May 14 to May 25.
Three new films have been added to the Competition lineup: Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius’ animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s Seed of the Sacred Fig and Emanuel Parvu’s Three Miles to the End of the World.
The Artist skyrocketed Hazanavicius to international fame in 2011 as the film won best picture at the Academy Awards, and received 10 Oscar nominations and five wins. Hazanavicius for his latest film adapted the Second World War novel of the same title by Jean-Claude Grumberg that is set against the events of the Holocaust and told with magical realism.
Rasoulof is not expected to attend his Cannes premiere as the director a year ago was barred by Iranian authorities from leaving the country to attend the Cannes Film...
Three new films have been added to the Competition lineup: Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius’ animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s Seed of the Sacred Fig and Emanuel Parvu’s Three Miles to the End of the World.
The Artist skyrocketed Hazanavicius to international fame in 2011 as the film won best picture at the Academy Awards, and received 10 Oscar nominations and five wins. Hazanavicius for his latest film adapted the Second World War novel of the same title by Jean-Claude Grumberg that is set against the events of the Holocaust and told with magical realism.
Rasoulof is not expected to attend his Cannes premiere as the director a year ago was barred by Iranian authorities from leaving the country to attend the Cannes Film...
- 4/22/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oliver Stone is unveiling his long-awaited documentary “Lula” at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Stone filmed the documentary about thrice-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that encompasses the ruler’s incarceration between 2018 and 2019 and his return to power. Stone was in production on the feature in 2021 during which time Lula da Silva contracted Covid while filming in Cuba.
“Lula” is the latest addition to the star-studded Cannes lineup, which also includes new films from Paul Schrader, Francis Ford Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold, David Cronenberg, Ali Abbasi, Sean Baker, Jia Zhangke, and Paolo Sorrentino.
Stone teased “Lula” to Jacobin earlier this year, saying that the film would be released “hopefully before the end of the year.”
“As you know, I had him in the other films with Hugo Chávez. And of course, he’s gotten a very dramatic story, with his going to jail after his second term. Now...
Stone filmed the documentary about thrice-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that encompasses the ruler’s incarceration between 2018 and 2019 and his return to power. Stone was in production on the feature in 2021 during which time Lula da Silva contracted Covid while filming in Cuba.
“Lula” is the latest addition to the star-studded Cannes lineup, which also includes new films from Paul Schrader, Francis Ford Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold, David Cronenberg, Ali Abbasi, Sean Baker, Jia Zhangke, and Paolo Sorrentino.
Stone teased “Lula” to Jacobin earlier this year, saying that the film would be released “hopefully before the end of the year.”
“As you know, I had him in the other films with Hugo Chávez. And of course, he’s gotten a very dramatic story, with his going to jail after his second term. Now...
- 4/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Films from Oliver Stone, Michel Hazanavicius and Arnaud Desplechin have been added to the Official Selection of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. They join previously announced titles from David Cronenberg, Yorgos Lanthimos, Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Schrader. Greta Gerwig is the president of this year’s jury.
Stone’s film, “Lula” is a documentary about Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and will have its world premiere as part of the Special Screenings section, which also features “Spectators,” from Arnaud Desplechin. His latest stars “Anatomy of a Fall” child actor Milo Machado Graner as well as Mathieu Amalric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”).
Hazanavicius, a Best Director Oscar winner for “The Artist,” joins the Competition lineup with “La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises” (“The Most Precious of Cargoes”), an animated film about a Jewish child during World War II whose father, in a desperate attempt to save his son’s life,...
Stone’s film, “Lula” is a documentary about Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and will have its world premiere as part of the Special Screenings section, which also features “Spectators,” from Arnaud Desplechin. His latest stars “Anatomy of a Fall” child actor Milo Machado Graner as well as Mathieu Amalric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”).
Hazanavicius, a Best Director Oscar winner for “The Artist,” joins the Competition lineup with “La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises” (“The Most Precious of Cargoes”), an animated film about a Jewish child during World War II whose father, in a desperate attempt to save his son’s life,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
The Cannes Film Festival has added 13 new titles to the selection for its 77 th edition, including new films by Oliver Stone, Lou Ye and Arnaud Desplechin as Special Screenings.
Three more titles have been added to competition including Michel Hazanavicius’ animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes.
Big budget French costume-adventure drama The Count of Monte Cristo, starring Pierre Niney as the titular hero will play Out of Competition.
The new additions are:
Un Certain Regard
When The Light Breaks
Rúnar Rúnarsson
Niki
Céline Sallette 1st film
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Cannes Premiere
Vivre, Mourir, Renaitre
Gaël Morel
Maria
Jessica Palud
Special Screenings
Spectateurs
Arnaud Desplechin
Nasty
Tudor Giurgiu
Lula
Oliver Stone
An Unfinished Film
Lou Ye
Out Of Competition
Le Comte De Monte-cristo
Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Competition
LA Plus PRÉCIEUSE Des Marchandises
Michel Hazanavicius
Trei Kilometri Pana LA Capatul Lumii
Emanuel Parvu
The Seed Of The...
Three more titles have been added to competition including Michel Hazanavicius’ animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes.
Big budget French costume-adventure drama The Count of Monte Cristo, starring Pierre Niney as the titular hero will play Out of Competition.
The new additions are:
Un Certain Regard
When The Light Breaks
Rúnar Rúnarsson
Niki
Céline Sallette 1st film
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Cannes Premiere
Vivre, Mourir, Renaitre
Gaël Morel
Maria
Jessica Palud
Special Screenings
Spectateurs
Arnaud Desplechin
Nasty
Tudor Giurgiu
Lula
Oliver Stone
An Unfinished Film
Lou Ye
Out Of Competition
Le Comte De Monte-cristo
Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Competition
LA Plus PRÉCIEUSE Des Marchandises
Michel Hazanavicius
Trei Kilometri Pana LA Capatul Lumii
Emanuel Parvu
The Seed Of The...
- 4/22/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes Film Festival has completed its 2024 Official Selection with 13 new films, including three new Competition titles.
Michel Hazanavicius’ The Most Precious Of Cargoes, Emanuel Parvu’s Three Kilometres To The End Of The World and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig join the Competition line-up, bringing it to 22 films.
There are four additional special screenings, including Oliver Stone’s documentary Lula, about Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Also added are Arnaud Desplechin’s Filmlovers! [pictured], Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film and Tudor Giurgiu’s Nasty.
Un Certain Regard will open with Runar Runarsson’s When The Light Breaks,...
Michel Hazanavicius’ The Most Precious Of Cargoes, Emanuel Parvu’s Three Kilometres To The End Of The World and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig join the Competition line-up, bringing it to 22 films.
There are four additional special screenings, including Oliver Stone’s documentary Lula, about Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Also added are Arnaud Desplechin’s Filmlovers! [pictured], Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film and Tudor Giurgiu’s Nasty.
Un Certain Regard will open with Runar Runarsson’s When The Light Breaks,...
- 4/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Are we capping off the Palme d’Or competition at twenty-one? This might be the case as we learned this morning (looks like Variety has red phone direct access to Thierry Frémaux) that the anticipated (we briefly discussed it in our 11th Hour predix) animated title in The Most Precious of Cargoes from Michel Hazanavicius and a complete surprise new title by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof in The Seed of the Sacred Fig have been added. After three trips to the Un Certain Regard section, Rasoulof is finally included in the Main Comp — hopefully he’ll be able to be present on the Croisette for the premiere and not under house arrest or any of that garbage.…...
- 4/22/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof is finally making his way back to the Cannes Film Festival following the controversy surrounding his Un Certain Regard 2023 jury appointment.
Rasoulof was invited to serve on the jury last year but was unable to attend due to Iran’s travel embargo on him. The “There Is No Evil” filmmaker was banned from leaving Iran after being arrested in July 2022 for posting statements criticizing government-sanctioned violence against protesters. Rasoulof was later temporarily released in February 2023 due to ongoing health concerns. He was later pardoned and sentenced to one year of penal servitude and a two-year ban from leaving Iran on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”
Now, Rasoulof is debuting his latest feature “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in competition at the festival. While the plot remains under wraps, there is no word on whether Rasoulof will attend the festival. Variety first reported the news.
Rasoulof was invited to serve on the jury last year but was unable to attend due to Iran’s travel embargo on him. The “There Is No Evil” filmmaker was banned from leaving Iran after being arrested in July 2022 for posting statements criticizing government-sanctioned violence against protesters. Rasoulof was later temporarily released in February 2023 due to ongoing health concerns. He was later pardoned and sentenced to one year of penal servitude and a two-year ban from leaving Iran on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”
Now, Rasoulof is debuting his latest feature “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in competition at the festival. While the plot remains under wraps, there is no word on whether Rasoulof will attend the festival. Variety first reported the news.
- 4/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
After announcing a whopping number of English-language films in competition, Cannes Film Festival has added some international titles: Michel Hazanavicius’ animated feature “The Most Precious of Cargoes” and Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Variety has learned.
An auteur-driven allegorical feature, “The Most Precious of Cargoes” (first-look still below) is adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s bestselling novel of the same name, set during World War II against the backdrop of the Holocaust. It will be the first animated feature to compete in more than a decade, since Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” in 2008.
The film is co-produced and represented internationally by Studiocanal, which also has Gilles Lellouche’s “Beating Hearts” in competition. “The Most Precious of Cargoes” is a passion project for Hazanavicius, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “The Artist,” who has been developing the project for years. Hazanavicius penned the script with Grumberg and created the drawings,...
An auteur-driven allegorical feature, “The Most Precious of Cargoes” (first-look still below) is adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s bestselling novel of the same name, set during World War II against the backdrop of the Holocaust. It will be the first animated feature to compete in more than a decade, since Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” in 2008.
The film is co-produced and represented internationally by Studiocanal, which also has Gilles Lellouche’s “Beating Hearts” in competition. “The Most Precious of Cargoes” is a passion project for Hazanavicius, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “The Artist,” who has been developing the project for years. Hazanavicius penned the script with Grumberg and created the drawings,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Iran continues to be a site of unrest among dissident filmmakers protesting leadership and government under the country’s current president, Ebrahim Raisi. In 2022, Iranian filmmakers such as Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad were arrested over their responses to Iran’s censorship of events including a building collapse that killed at least 41, and later the death of Mahsa Amini, killed by Islamic police for allegedly not wearing her hijab.
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Women dancing, women singing, women burning their hijab: these acts of defiance shape Iranian filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi’s feature-length debut, “My Stolen Planet.” After premiering in Berlinale’s Panorama section and winning a second place Audience Award, the film now competes for the Golden Alexander at Thessaloniki International Doc Fest.
Prior to her feature, Sharifi made eight shorts while working as an editor for documentaries, including Firouzeh Khosrovani’s IDFA winning “Radiograph of a Family.”
Using the essayistic style of a diary, “My Stolen Planet” presents the joy and vivaciousness in contrast with the regimented oppression in Tehran using both the director’s personal archives and 8mm recordings of strangers’ lives. The film is produced by Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen of Jyoti Film and co-produced by Farzad Pak of PakFilm, who was behind the Golden Bear winner “There Is No Evil,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cat&Docs is in charge...
Prior to her feature, Sharifi made eight shorts while working as an editor for documentaries, including Firouzeh Khosrovani’s IDFA winning “Radiograph of a Family.”
Using the essayistic style of a diary, “My Stolen Planet” presents the joy and vivaciousness in contrast with the regimented oppression in Tehran using both the director’s personal archives and 8mm recordings of strangers’ lives. The film is produced by Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen of Jyoti Film and co-produced by Farzad Pak of PakFilm, who was behind the Golden Bear winner “There Is No Evil,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cat&Docs is in charge...
- 3/6/2024
- by Savina Petkova
- Variety Film + TV
The awards ceremony for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival kicks off Saturday night, where this year’s jury, headed by 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther actress Lupita Nyong’o, will hand out the coveted Gold and Silver Bears.
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Iranian drama My Favourite Cake is being given good odds for an award this year. The drama, about a 70-year-old widow and her tentative attempts at romance with an age-appropriate taxi driver, was a critical fave. A win for the film would also send a political message after the Iranian government banned the directors from attending Berlin. If the jury picks out Cake for the Golden Bear it would be the third time in 10 years —following Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (2015) and There Is No Evil (2020) from Mohammad Rasoulof —that Berlin has given its top honor to Iranian directors in absentia. World sales for My...
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Iranian drama My Favourite Cake is being given good odds for an award this year. The drama, about a 70-year-old widow and her tentative attempts at romance with an age-appropriate taxi driver, was a critical fave. A win for the film would also send a political message after the Iranian government banned the directors from attending Berlin. If the jury picks out Cake for the Golden Bear it would be the third time in 10 years —following Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (2015) and There Is No Evil (2020) from Mohammad Rasoulof —that Berlin has given its top honor to Iranian directors in absentia. World sales for My...
- 2/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s My Favourite Cake in is screening in Competition at the Berlinale today (February 16) but the directors are unable to attend the festival, having been prevented from leaving Iran by its government.
“Six months ago security guards raided our editor’s office, and took all the computers, hard drives and copies of the film,” said Sanaeeha. “They told us there will be a court case, and because of that we can’t leave the country.”
The government still holds their passports and has tried to make them withdraw the film from Berlin. “It feels like...
“Six months ago security guards raided our editor’s office, and took all the computers, hard drives and copies of the film,” said Sanaeeha. “They told us there will be a court case, and because of that we can’t leave the country.”
The government still holds their passports and has tried to make them withdraw the film from Berlin. “It feels like...
- 2/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival has called on Iran to allow directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha to leave the country to attend the world premiere of their new film My Favorite Cake, which has been selected to screen in competition at the 74th Berlinale.
In a statement Thursday, the festival said that they have learned that Moghaddam and Sanaeeha have been banned from traveling, have had their passports confiscated by Iranian authorities, and face a court trial connected to their work as artists and filmmakers.
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha on the set of ‘My Favourite Cake’
“The Berlinale is a festival fundamentally committed to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the arts, for all people around the world and the festival is shocked and dismayed to learn that Moghaddam and Sanaeeha could be prevented from traveling to the festival to present their film and meet their audience in Berlin,...
In a statement Thursday, the festival said that they have learned that Moghaddam and Sanaeeha have been banned from traveling, have had their passports confiscated by Iranian authorities, and face a court trial connected to their work as artists and filmmakers.
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha on the set of ‘My Favourite Cake’
“The Berlinale is a festival fundamentally committed to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the arts, for all people around the world and the festival is shocked and dismayed to learn that Moghaddam and Sanaeeha could be prevented from traveling to the festival to present their film and meet their audience in Berlin,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Totem Films, the Paris-based sales and production company known for arthouse breakouts such as “Compartment No. 6” and “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” has boarded sales on “My Favourite Cake” by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha. The Iranian writing-directing duo’s latest feature was just announced in competition at the upcoming Berlinale.
The film stars newcomer Lily Farhadpour as Mahin and renowned Iranian actor Esmail Mehrabi as Faramarz.
Seventy-year-old Mahin lives alone, until she decides to break her solitary routine and revitalize her love life. But as she opens up to romance, an unexpected encounter quickly evolves into an unforgettable evening.
Moghaddam and Sanaeeha said: “’My Favourite Cake’ is based on the reality of the everyday lives of middle-class women in Iran. The realities of women’s lives in Iran have hardly ever been told, yet this is a playful tale about hope and joy in life, as well as the absurdity of death.
The film stars newcomer Lily Farhadpour as Mahin and renowned Iranian actor Esmail Mehrabi as Faramarz.
Seventy-year-old Mahin lives alone, until she decides to break her solitary routine and revitalize her love life. But as she opens up to romance, an unexpected encounter quickly evolves into an unforgettable evening.
Moghaddam and Sanaeeha said: “’My Favourite Cake’ is based on the reality of the everyday lives of middle-class women in Iran. The realities of women’s lives in Iran have hardly ever been told, yet this is a playful tale about hope and joy in life, as well as the absurdity of death.
- 1/24/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Dissident Iranian film professionals are calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran in 2024 Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category rather than the one submitted this week as the country’s official entry.
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The ongoing plights of Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof — who were both released from prison earlier this year after months of detainment for crimes relating to their criticisms of the nation’s government — prompted renewed concerns about Iran’s authoritarian policies from the global film community. But the larger philosophical and geopolitical concerns about censoring filmmakers can make it tempting to view these men as mere symbols, ignoring the spiritual price they end up paying for their work.
Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears,” made the rounds on the international festival circuit in 2022, and he used the platform to issue frequent statements about the dangers faced by Iranian filmmakers who try to express themselves freely. Panahi and his many supporters often spoke about the paradoxical reasoning that allowed filmmakers to keep focusing on the very art that was putting their freedom in jeopardy. Being creative in an environment...
Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears,” made the rounds on the international festival circuit in 2022, and he used the platform to issue frequent statements about the dangers faced by Iranian filmmakers who try to express themselves freely. Panahi and his many supporters often spoke about the paradoxical reasoning that allowed filmmakers to keep focusing on the very art that was putting their freedom in jeopardy. Being creative in an environment...
- 9/15/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari, whose latest film “Terrestrial Verses” (co-directed by Alireza Khatami) world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has been banned by the Iranian authorities from leaving the country and directing movies until further notice.
The sole Iranian movie to play in Cannes Official Selection this year, “Terrestrial Verses” earned a warm critical response at the festival, where it played in Un Certain Regard, and was sold by Films Boutique around the world. But when Asgari returned to Iran after the premiere, he had his passport confiscated by the local authorities to prevent him from attending further international festivals. In an attempt to silence him, the Iranian regime also threatened to send him to prison as has happened to other outspoken Iranian directors. Just a couple weeks ago, Saeed Roustaee and his producer were sentenced to six months to prison for showing their film “Leila’s Brothers” at last...
The sole Iranian movie to play in Cannes Official Selection this year, “Terrestrial Verses” earned a warm critical response at the festival, where it played in Un Certain Regard, and was sold by Films Boutique around the world. But when Asgari returned to Iran after the premiere, he had his passport confiscated by the local authorities to prevent him from attending further international festivals. In an attempt to silence him, the Iranian regime also threatened to send him to prison as has happened to other outspoken Iranian directors. Just a couple weeks ago, Saeed Roustaee and his producer were sentenced to six months to prison for showing their film “Leila’s Brothers” at last...
- 9/1/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Kohn’s Corner is a weekly column about the challenges and opportunities of sustaining American film culture.
Cinema is a global industry, but Hollywood struggles to see beyond its own reflection. This past week, much was made about the international impact of “Barbie,” a mass-market takedown of the patriarchy that somehow has been able to screen in Saudi Arabia but not in Kuwait, and got banned in Algeria for “homosexuality and other Western deviances” a month after its release, presumably because censors decided to see “Oppenheimer” first.
Yet far less attention in the West has been paid to Iran, which did not screen “Barbie” or any other American movie this month, and shows no sign of doing that anytime soon. The Middle Eastern country banned the theatrical release of most foreign films years ago, which means that most Iranian audiences for Hollywood blockbusters come from the industry’s greatest foe: piracy sites.
Cinema is a global industry, but Hollywood struggles to see beyond its own reflection. This past week, much was made about the international impact of “Barbie,” a mass-market takedown of the patriarchy that somehow has been able to screen in Saudi Arabia but not in Kuwait, and got banned in Algeria for “homosexuality and other Western deviances” a month after its release, presumably because censors decided to see “Oppenheimer” first.
Yet far less attention in the West has been paid to Iran, which did not screen “Barbie” or any other American movie this month, and shows no sign of doing that anytime soon. The Middle Eastern country banned the theatrical release of most foreign films years ago, which means that most Iranian audiences for Hollywood blockbusters come from the industry’s greatest foe: piracy sites.
- 8/19/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Updated, 8:47 Am: Following the arrest in Iran of Leila’s Brothers filmmakers Saeed Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi, who screened their family drama at Cannes last year without government approval, Martin Scorsese has shared a petition on social with hopes to “bring justice” to the duo.
“Please sign and share the petition in my bio seeking justice for Roustayi and Noruzbegi, so they can continue to be a force of good in the world,” said the Killers of the Flower Moon helmer. “Their voices needs to be heard.” Read more about the circumstances surrounding the pair’s arrest below.
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A post shared by Martin Scorsese (@martinscorsese_)
Previous, August 16: Saeed Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi, the director-producer duo behind family drama Leila’s Brothers, will see jail time in Iran after premiering the film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival without government approval, according to local media reports.
“Please sign and share the petition in my bio seeking justice for Roustayi and Noruzbegi, so they can continue to be a force of good in the world,” said the Killers of the Flower Moon helmer. “Their voices needs to be heard.” Read more about the circumstances surrounding the pair’s arrest below.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Martin Scorsese (@martinscorsese_)
Previous, August 16: Saeed Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi, the director-producer duo behind family drama Leila’s Brothers, will see jail time in Iran after premiering the film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival without government approval, according to local media reports.
- 8/17/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian director Saeed Roustaee has been sentenced to six months to prison for showing his latest film, “Leila’s Brothers,” at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, according to an Iranian report.
The Islamic Revolutionary Court convicted both Roustaee and Javad Noruzbegi for “contributing to the propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system,” according to the Iranian daily Etemad.
The nearly three-hour saga, which marked Roustaee’s debut in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, stars “The Salesman” actor Taraneh Alidoosti as one of five siblings fighting to find a way out of poverty in Tehran. The socially-minded movie was banned in Iran last year for “breaking the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorisation,” according to the Afp, which quoted Iranian authorities.
Roustaee and Noruzbegi will serve about nine days in prison, while the remainder of the sentence will be suspended over five years, during which...
The Islamic Revolutionary Court convicted both Roustaee and Javad Noruzbegi for “contributing to the propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system,” according to the Iranian daily Etemad.
The nearly three-hour saga, which marked Roustaee’s debut in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, stars “The Salesman” actor Taraneh Alidoosti as one of five siblings fighting to find a way out of poverty in Tehran. The socially-minded movie was banned in Iran last year for “breaking the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorisation,” according to the Afp, which quoted Iranian authorities.
Roustaee and Noruzbegi will serve about nine days in prison, while the remainder of the sentence will be suspended over five years, during which...
- 8/16/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian director and screenwriter Saeed Roustayi has been sentenced to six months in prison for screening his film Leila’s Brothers at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival without necessary authorization, according to local reports.
The filmmaker — alongside his producer Javad Noruzbegi — were on Tuesday found guilty of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system” by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, as per reports in the Iranian daily Etemad and Radio Free Europe.
The court ruled that the two will serve about nine days in jail, while the remainder of the sentence will be suspended over five years, during which time they have effectively been banned from making films. The requirements say that they “refrain from activities related to the committed crime or using tools effective in it,” “avoid contact and association with individuals active in the film industry” and “attend a filmmaking course at the Qom Sound and Vision Academy.
The filmmaker — alongside his producer Javad Noruzbegi — were on Tuesday found guilty of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system” by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, as per reports in the Iranian daily Etemad and Radio Free Europe.
The court ruled that the two will serve about nine days in jail, while the remainder of the sentence will be suspended over five years, during which time they have effectively been banned from making films. The requirements say that they “refrain from activities related to the committed crime or using tools effective in it,” “avoid contact and association with individuals active in the film industry” and “attend a filmmaking course at the Qom Sound and Vision Academy.
- 8/16/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Big World Pictures has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights from Paris-based sales firm Charades to Giacomo Abbruzzese’s debut feature, Disco Boy.
Winner of the Berlinale’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution earlier this year, the largely French-language film stars rising German actor Franz Rogowski as a Belarusian immigrant haunted by his actions as a mercenary in the French Foreign Legion. Above is an English-language trailer for the movie.
An early 2024 theatrical release is being lined up following fall festival play. France’s Films Grand Huit produces.
Rogowski is best known for Ira Sachs’ Passages, Christian Petzold’s Transit and Sebastian Meise’s Great Freedom. Upcoming he will star in Andrea Arnold’s Bird and David Michôd and A24’s Wizards!.
In Disco Boy, Rogowski plays Aleksei, who reaches Paris following a difficult and undocumented journey across Europe. In Paris he enlists in the French Foreign Legion,...
Winner of the Berlinale’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution earlier this year, the largely French-language film stars rising German actor Franz Rogowski as a Belarusian immigrant haunted by his actions as a mercenary in the French Foreign Legion. Above is an English-language trailer for the movie.
An early 2024 theatrical release is being lined up following fall festival play. France’s Films Grand Huit produces.
Rogowski is best known for Ira Sachs’ Passages, Christian Petzold’s Transit and Sebastian Meise’s Great Freedom. Upcoming he will star in Andrea Arnold’s Bird and David Michôd and A24’s Wizards!.
In Disco Boy, Rogowski plays Aleksei, who reaches Paris following a difficult and undocumented journey across Europe. In Paris he enlists in the French Foreign Legion,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The only way Amir (Hamid Reza Abbasi) and Narges (Sadaf Asgari) can spend time together is in their secret, open ‘living room' in a never finished luxury hotel overlooking one of the long, sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea in North Iran. The concrete shell, long time abandoned by its makers, serves as their zone of comfort, where they dream about a bright future together. The problem is that Amir comes from a poor, working class family and Narges is a daughter of wealthy, influential parents who want to secure her future by finding an ideal suitor who won't have trouble paying a sky-rocket high dowry.
The film kicks off with a scene in which the lovebirds spend time on a completely desolated beach, but although there is no one to be seen, Narges refuses to join her boyfriend for a swim. In his boyish desire to impress, he will...
The film kicks off with a scene in which the lovebirds spend time on a completely desolated beach, but although there is no one to be seen, Narges refuses to join her boyfriend for a swim. In his boyish desire to impress, he will...
- 7/6/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
A woman with a lost dog, a small girl performing a TikTok dance in a chador, and a worn-out filmmaker trying to get his movie project off the ground are just three of the characters populating the omnibus of single-take vignettes in writer-directors Alireza Khatami and Ali Asgari’s “Terrestrial Verses.” Combined, these nine stories give off a powerful cumulative effect as we see the petty bureaucracies and paper-pushing quotidian blocks to working-class life unfold and whittle these people down. Cultural, religious, and institutional constraints wear down everyday citizens in Tehran in stories that may lack a beginning, middle, or end but still arrive at a well-drawn if eerie and ambiguous conclusion that would feel dystopic if the events weren’t so ordinary.
The sole Iranian entry in the 2023 Cannes Official Selection, “Terrestrial Verses” opens with a panoramic, widescreen shot of the Tehran cityscape. At first gently and then overwhelmingly,...
The sole Iranian entry in the 2023 Cannes Official Selection, “Terrestrial Verses” opens with a panoramic, widescreen shot of the Tehran cityscape. At first gently and then overwhelmingly,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Leading lights of contemporary Iranian cinema, including “Holy Spider” actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi, “The Siren” director Sepideh Farsi, “The Opponent” helmer Milad Alami and producer Kaveh Farnam, turned up at the Cannes Film Festival to raise the alarm on the repression faced by Iranian cinema during a session hosted by Amazon Prime Video’s Sahar Baghery.
Iran has been the centerstage of widespread protests driven by women against the Islamic regime since Mahsa Amini died in police custody for for wearing her hijab too loosely in September 2022. Although the rebellion has garnered vocal support outside of Iran, it hasn’t succeeded in dethroning the Iranian regime. A number of dissident Iranian filmmakers and talent have been jailed over the last six months, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who was recently released from prison. Rasoulof was nevertheless banned from leaving Iran to serve on the jury of Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
Iran has been the centerstage of widespread protests driven by women against the Islamic regime since Mahsa Amini died in police custody for for wearing her hijab too loosely in September 2022. Although the rebellion has garnered vocal support outside of Iran, it hasn’t succeeded in dethroning the Iranian regime. A number of dissident Iranian filmmakers and talent have been jailed over the last six months, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who was recently released from prison. Rasoulof was nevertheless banned from leaving Iran to serve on the jury of Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
- 5/25/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
A daunting task faces the protagonists in Terrestrial Verses (Ayeh haye zamini): Each of them is trying to reason with a government bureaucrat or other self-important authority figure. They’re all residents of Tehran, and there’s something specific to Iran in the oppressive regulations and catch-22s that hinder them, but there’s universal resonance, too, in the escalating lunacy and bleak implications.
In 10 of the feature’s 11 subtly interlocking segments, a single character faces an offscreen interlocutor. The fixed camera holds each one in an unwavering embrace as they try to make sense of arbitrary rules and demands. Inspired by the intricate rhymes of ghazal, a classic form of Persian poetry, writer-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have constructed a thoroughly modern work of bracing concision, elegance and blistering deadpan humor, one that pulses with sorrow and outrage over the absurdity of authoritarian dictates that aim to crush souls.
In 10 of the feature’s 11 subtly interlocking segments, a single character faces an offscreen interlocutor. The fixed camera holds each one in an unwavering embrace as they try to make sense of arbitrary rules and demands. Inspired by the intricate rhymes of ghazal, a classic form of Persian poetry, writer-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have constructed a thoroughly modern work of bracing concision, elegance and blistering deadpan humor, one that pulses with sorrow and outrage over the absurdity of authoritarian dictates that aim to crush souls.
- 5/23/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The winds of change are sweeping Iran as the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ protests, provoked by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September, continue. Here, four Iranian disruptors talk about their struggles, their acts of solidarity for the pro-democracy movement, and their hopes for the future of their country.
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
- 5/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the momentous burst of rebellion against the Iranian regime prompted by the death of Mahsa Amini are reverberating profoundly at the Cannes Film Festival.
At the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night, legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve paid tribute to the war’s victims by reciting a poem from Ukrainian poet Lessia Oukraïnka, solemnly declaring: “I no longer have either happiness or freedom, only one hope remains to me: to return one day to my beautiful Ukraine.” One year ago, Cannes got off to an emotional start with remarks from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On the industry side, official Russian delegations and companies with ties to the government are again banned from participating in the Cannes Marché du Film. And Iran’s Farabi Film Foundation, the top national film entity which has been attending the market for years, has not been allowed to book a stand,...
At the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night, legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve paid tribute to the war’s victims by reciting a poem from Ukrainian poet Lessia Oukraïnka, solemnly declaring: “I no longer have either happiness or freedom, only one hope remains to me: to return one day to my beautiful Ukraine.” One year ago, Cannes got off to an emotional start with remarks from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On the industry side, official Russian delegations and companies with ties to the government are again banned from participating in the Cannes Marché du Film. And Iran’s Farabi Film Foundation, the top national film entity which has been attending the market for years, has not been allowed to book a stand,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Mohammad Rasoulof’s invitation to Cannes has ignited a campaign to allow the Iranian filmmaker to leave his home nation.
International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr), an Amsterdam-based organization, issued a statement titled “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!” urging the Iranian government to allow the filmmaker to travel to France for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The “There Is No Evil” filmmaker was invited to serve on the Un Certain Regard jury but is unable to attend due to Iran’s travel embargo on him.
Rasoulof was recently banned from leaving Iran after being arrested in July 2022 for posting statements criticizing government-sanctioned violence against protesters. Rasoulof was later temporarily released in February 2023 due to ongoing health concerns. He was later pardoned and sentenced to one year of penal servitude and a two-year ban from leaving Iran on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”
Similarly, director Jafar Panahi, who was detained alongside Rasoulof,...
International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr), an Amsterdam-based organization, issued a statement titled “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!” urging the Iranian government to allow the filmmaker to travel to France for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The “There Is No Evil” filmmaker was invited to serve on the Un Certain Regard jury but is unable to attend due to Iran’s travel embargo on him.
Rasoulof was recently banned from leaving Iran after being arrested in July 2022 for posting statements criticizing government-sanctioned violence against protesters. Rasoulof was later temporarily released in February 2023 due to ongoing health concerns. He was later pardoned and sentenced to one year of penal servitude and a two-year ban from leaving Iran on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”
Similarly, director Jafar Panahi, who was detained alongside Rasoulof,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) has called on Iran to lift a travel ban on director Mohammad Rasoulof.
News broke this week that the filmmaker had been invited to participate in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard jury but had to decline the offer after being refused permission to leave Iran.
Rasoulof confirmed these facts to Deadline and said Iranian authorities had given no reason for the decision.
A few days earlier, friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi left Iran for the first time in 14 years on a one-week trip to France to see his daughter. He has since returned home.
In a statement bannered “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!”, Icfr noted the different treatment meted out to the two directors.
“Both have repeatedly gotten into conflict with the Iranian authorities, had their passports confiscated and been jailed. Now one can travel, the other not,” read the statement.
News broke this week that the filmmaker had been invited to participate in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard jury but had to decline the offer after being refused permission to leave Iran.
Rasoulof confirmed these facts to Deadline and said Iranian authorities had given no reason for the decision.
A few days earlier, friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi left Iran for the first time in 14 years on a one-week trip to France to see his daughter. He has since returned home.
In a statement bannered “Let Mohammad Rasoulof Go!”, Icfr noted the different treatment meted out to the two directors.
“Both have repeatedly gotten into conflict with the Iranian authorities, had their passports confiscated and been jailed. Now one can travel, the other not,” read the statement.
- 5/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The strike has begun, Insiders. The industrial action, the first in the U.S. since 2007-08, dominated news coverage in film and TV this week but there’s been plenty more going around the world. Jesse Whittock here to take you through. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter here.
Strike, Camera, Action! Queen Charlotte
Shows of solidarity: The moment is upon us. Following several weeks of failed negotiations, the WGA is striking for the first time in 15 years over issues including compensation and streaming residuals, mini-rooms, late-night streaming shows and pensions. As writers across the U.S. hit the picket lines, attention here at Deadline International has been focused on the ripple effects being felt globally. Multiple writers unions around the world were swift in their shows of support. Australian, Canadian and UK guilds have already urged their own writers to down tools and refuse to work on U.
Strike, Camera, Action! Queen Charlotte
Shows of solidarity: The moment is upon us. Following several weeks of failed negotiations, the WGA is striking for the first time in 15 years over issues including compensation and streaming residuals, mini-rooms, late-night streaming shows and pensions. As writers across the U.S. hit the picket lines, attention here at Deadline International has been focused on the ripple effects being felt globally. Multiple writers unions around the world were swift in their shows of support. Australian, Canadian and UK guilds have already urged their own writers to down tools and refuse to work on U.
- 5/5/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Mohammad Rasoulof revealed he was invited to serve on the 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard jury but was forced to turn down the spot due to a travel ban from his home nation of Iran.
Per Radio France Internationale (Rfi), Rasoulof was prevented from leaving Iran to attend the French festival. Rfi also reported that Cannes organizers are still trying to provide conditions for Rasoulof to be in attendance. The director formerly received the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2011 for “Goodbye” and won the Fipresci prize in 2013 for “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” followed by the Un Certain Regard award for “A Man of Integrity” in 2017.
The 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard jury will be overseen by jury president John C. Reilly and consists of French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actress Paula Beer, Franco-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou, and Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne.
Per Radio France Internationale (Rfi), Rasoulof was prevented from leaving Iran to attend the French festival. Rfi also reported that Cannes organizers are still trying to provide conditions for Rasoulof to be in attendance. The director formerly received the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2011 for “Goodbye” and won the Fipresci prize in 2013 for “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” followed by the Un Certain Regard award for “A Man of Integrity” in 2017.
The 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard jury will be overseen by jury president John C. Reilly and consists of French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actress Paula Beer, Franco-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou, and Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne.
- 5/4/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Mohammad Rasoulof’s hopes to attend the Cannes Film Festival have been dashed.
The acclaimed Iranian director and dissident has been banned from leaving his home country in order to serve on the festival’s Un Certain Regard jury.
Read More: Iran Releases Oscar-Winning Film Actress Held Over Protests
According to The Hollywood Reporter, despite being granted a temporary release from prison in February due to ill health, Rasoulof is not being allowed to exit Iran.
The news comes after fellow director Jafar Panahi was allowed to leave the country for the first time in 14 years in order to visit his daughter in France.
Rasoulof is a prominent critic of the Iranian government, which has landed him in legal trouble for years, landing him in prison multiple times.
He has been banned from making movies, and for the last six years has been barred from travelling outside Iran.
Despite the legal troubles,...
The acclaimed Iranian director and dissident has been banned from leaving his home country in order to serve on the festival’s Un Certain Regard jury.
Read More: Iran Releases Oscar-Winning Film Actress Held Over Protests
According to The Hollywood Reporter, despite being granted a temporary release from prison in February due to ill health, Rasoulof is not being allowed to exit Iran.
The news comes after fellow director Jafar Panahi was allowed to leave the country for the first time in 14 years in order to visit his daughter in France.
Rasoulof is a prominent critic of the Iranian government, which has landed him in legal trouble for years, landing him in prison multiple times.
He has been banned from making movies, and for the last six years has been barred from travelling outside Iran.
Despite the legal troubles,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Iranian director was released from jail in February.
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving his home country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to the Farsi service of Radio France International (Rfi), Cannes invited Rasoulof to join the Un Certain Regard jury following his release from jail in Tehran in February.
Rasoulof was jailed last year over an appeal he and documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad posted on social media speaking out against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Rfi said that Cannes had hoped that...
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving his home country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to the Farsi service of Radio France International (Rfi), Cannes invited Rasoulof to join the Un Certain Regard jury following his release from jail in Tehran in February.
Rasoulof was jailed last year over an appeal he and documentary filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad posted on social media speaking out against the repression of civil protestors in the country.
Rfi said that Cannes had hoped that...
- 5/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been banned from leaving Iran to serve as a member of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard jury, he has confirmed to Variety.
News of the travel ban for the director who was recently released from Tehran’s Evin prison after being arrested last July for criticizing the government on social media, was first reported by the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi). Rasoulof via text message confirmed he was not allowed by Iranian authorities to leave the country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury. No reason was provided.
The Cannes Film Festival declined to comment.
U.S. actor John C. Reilly will serve as president of the Un Certain Regard jury. The other jury members are French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actor Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou and Belgian actor Émilie Dequenne.
News of the travel ban for the director who was recently released from Tehran’s Evin prison after being arrested last July for criticizing the government on social media, was first reported by the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi). Rasoulof via text message confirmed he was not allowed by Iranian authorities to leave the country to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury. No reason was provided.
The Cannes Film Festival declined to comment.
U.S. actor John C. Reilly will serve as president of the Un Certain Regard jury. The other jury members are French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actor Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou and Belgian actor Émilie Dequenne.
- 5/4/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Mohammad Rasoulof Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been banned from leaving the country to take part in the Cannes Film Festival Un Certai Regard jury.
The news was broken by Radio France Internationale (Rfi) - a Farsi-language news agency - last night.
The There Is No Evil director was jailed last year for criticising the government but was released in February.
Rfi reported that the festival had hoped that Rasoulof, 50, would be able to leave the country to be part of the jury and target="_Blank">Deadline said it had confirmed this with the director.
The news comes after it emerged that Jafar Panahi - who was also released from jail in February, after going on hunger strike - had been permitted to leave Iran for the first time in 14 years last week. He visited his daughter in France and returned a few days later.
The news was broken by Radio France Internationale (Rfi) - a Farsi-language news agency - last night.
The There Is No Evil director was jailed last year for criticising the government but was released in February.
Rfi reported that the festival had hoped that Rasoulof, 50, would be able to leave the country to be part of the jury and target="_Blank">Deadline said it had confirmed this with the director.
The news comes after it emerged that Jafar Panahi - who was also released from jail in February, after going on hunger strike - had been permitted to leave Iran for the first time in 14 years last week. He visited his daughter in France and returned a few days later.
- 5/4/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Acclaimed Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving the country to attend the Cannes Film Festival to serve on the Un Certain Regard jury.
As first reported in the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi), Rasoulof had hoped to attend Cannes this year after Iranian authorities, in February, granted him a temporary release, after seven months imprisonment, from Tehran’s Evin prison due to ill health.
Rasoulof’s friend, and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi, was allowed to leave Iran last week to travel abroad, for the first time in 14 years. He visited his daughter in France before returning to Iran.
Rasoulof, however, has not been let out.
The 50-year-old director is one of the most prominent critics of the Iranian regime and his public statements have landed him in prison several times over the years. He has been banned from making films and, for the past 6 years,...
As first reported in the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi), Rasoulof had hoped to attend Cannes this year after Iranian authorities, in February, granted him a temporary release, after seven months imprisonment, from Tehran’s Evin prison due to ill health.
Rasoulof’s friend, and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi, was allowed to leave Iran last week to travel abroad, for the first time in 14 years. He visited his daughter in France before returning to Iran.
Rasoulof, however, has not been let out.
The 50-year-old director is one of the most prominent critics of the Iranian regime and his public statements have landed him in prison several times over the years. He has been banned from making films and, for the past 6 years,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has confirmed that he was unable to accept an invitation from the Cannes Film Festival to participate in its Un Certain Regard jury after being barred from leaving Iran.
News of the incident first broke via the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi).
The report said the festival had hoped to secure Rasoulof’s attendance following his temporary release from Tehran’s Evin jail in February due to ill health, following a seven-month stint at the notoriously tough facility.
Rasoulof confirmed to Deadline that the report was true and said no explanation was given for rejecting the travel request.
The continued travel restrictions for Rasoulof follow news last week that friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi had left Iran for the first time in 14 years following the lifting of his travel ban. His lawyer denied rumors that he had left for good.
News of the incident first broke via the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (Rfi).
The report said the festival had hoped to secure Rasoulof’s attendance following his temporary release from Tehran’s Evin jail in February due to ill health, following a seven-month stint at the notoriously tough facility.
Rasoulof confirmed to Deadline that the report was true and said no explanation was given for rejecting the travel request.
The continued travel restrictions for Rasoulof follow news last week that friend and fellow dissident director Jafar Panahi had left Iran for the first time in 14 years following the lifting of his travel ban. His lawyer denied rumors that he had left for good.
- 5/4/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The award-winning auteur was released from prison in February.
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi has reportedly left Iran for the first time since 2009 after his travel ban was lifted, according to his wife Tahereh Saeedi.
A post by Saeedi on Instagram appeared to show her and Panahi at an undisclosed airport with a stack of suitcases. The caption read: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days.”
Observers on social media speculate that he is in France, based on the background of the image.
View this post on Instagram
A...
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi has reportedly left Iran for the first time since 2009 after his travel ban was lifted, according to his wife Tahereh Saeedi.
A post by Saeedi on Instagram appeared to show her and Panahi at an undisclosed airport with a stack of suitcases. The caption read: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days.”
Observers on social media speculate that he is in France, based on the background of the image.
View this post on Instagram
A...
- 4/26/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
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