According to the lawyer, Rasoulof’s statements, films and documentaries are the main reason for the sentence. “In the court’s view, these actions are examples of collusion to commit a crime against the security of the country,” the lawyer’s message said.
It was previously announced that the Iranian authorities had put pressure on Rasoulof for his latest work The Seed of the Sacred Fig to withdraw from the Cannes Film Festival, which starts next week. With the conviction, it seems impossible for Rasoulof to attend the film festival. Last year, Rasoulof was also not allowed to leave Iran to go to Cannes.
The 52-year-old Rasoulof was already in prison in 2023 for ‘incitement against the state’. He was then released in February due to his poor health.
Rasoulof has been on an Iranian government ‘blacklist’ for years due to his persistent criticism of the regime. Since 2017, he has been officially banned from making films in Iran because, according to the government, he makes “propaganda against the state”.
