Germany selects Iranian director's award-winning film Seed of the Sacred Fig as Oscars official entry

Germany has selected the drama film The Seed of the Sacred Fig as its official submission for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards. The film is directed by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof.

The film was selected by an independent jury of experts appointed by German Films. In total, 13 films were submitted for consideration.

What isThe Seed of the Sacred Fig about?

The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof is known for leaving behind a difficult life. He has been living in Germany ever since his dramatic exit from Iran in May. He fled his country in the face of threats of flogging and imprisonment from the country’s authoritarian Islamic Republic regime.

The film will tell the story of his 28-days journey to escape Iran after shooting The Seed Of The Sacred Fig and how he landed in Germany.

While selecting his film, the jury said, “It is an outstanding work by one of the great directors of world cinema and someone who has found refuge in Germany from state despotism in Iran. We are very happy to know that Rasoulof is safe in our country. And we are delighted that he will be representing Germany at the Oscars in 2025.”

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a political thriller mixing fiction and the real-life protests in Iran. It takes inspiration from the pro-democracy protests which swept Iran in September 2022. These protests were in response to the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

In the film, Misagh Zareh stars as Iman, a devout man who is promoted to the position of 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 tough measures, he sides with the regime and upsets the balance of his family.

The film has won several awards at Cannes

The film premiered in Competition at Cannes Film Festival shortly after the director'sdramatic escape to Europe. At Cannes, it received the Competition’s Special Jury Prize, the FIPRESCI Prize, the European Art House Cinemas Award (AFCAE), the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Prix François Chalais for Best Film.

The film that “tells the story of oppression and of hope and resistance, is the result of a unique collaboration between people with very different realities of life and migration histories.”

The Seed of the Sacred Fig was produced by Run Way Pictures in co-production with Parallel45, ARTE France Cinéma and with the participation of ARTE France and in co-operation with Films Boutique.

German distributor Alamode will release the film in German cinemas on December 26. In North America, Neon will release the film in cinemas on November 27.