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The Arts Intel Report

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Actress Golshifteh Farahani and director Mohammad Rasoulof at the Cannes Film Festival.

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Mohammad Rasoulof is a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, and his films have all been banned in the country, including the award-winning A Man of Integrity and There Is No Evil. His latest film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, was shot entirely in secret, with a small cast (who did their own stunts) and crew, using minimal equipment. It follows a privileged Tehran family whose patriarch, Iman (Misagh Zare), is promoted to the post of investigative judge in the Revolutionary Guard Court just as the Women Life Freedom demonstrations begin. At first, Iman’s dutiful wife, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), thinks only of future perks—like a three-bedroom apartment—that his ascension will bring. She is determined that their two sheltered daughters—college student Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and high-schooler Sana (Setareh Maleki)—remain “irreproachable.” But the resistance on the streets quickly enters their home. The Seed of the Sacred Fig was selected for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Cannes Jury Prize winner. It is now being considered for the Academy Award for best international feature film. —Lisa Liebman

Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters/Redux