- German Film Awards to Honor Iranian Director Mohammad Rasoulof
Recently, he shifted base to Germany - now he's Germany's hopeful for the Oscar: Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof is set to represent Germany in the competition for the Oscar for Best International Film, thanks to his movie "The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree," which explores political protests in his homeland. German Films, the international representative of the German film industry, made this announcement in Munich. He emerged victorious against a dozen other contenders.
"I'm thrilled that the jury recognized that individuals with migrant backgrounds feel at home here as well," producer Mani Tilgner informed the German Press Agency.
"Representing diverse life experiences and migration narratives"
"This film, which delves into themes of suppression yet also resilience, is a testament to the power of intercultural exchange in a free and open society. It illustrates the impact of a unique collaboration of individuals with diverse life experiences and migration stories," Rasoulof, Tilgner, and the two other producers of the film stated in a joint statement.
"The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree" chronicles the impact of political protests in Iran on a family. The jury praised the film as "a psychological portrait of the theocratic regime of Iran, constructed on violence and paranoia." The jury commended Rasoulof for his subtleties in depicting the internal fractures within a family that mirror the fractures in Iranian society, a masterfully directed and emotionally impactful film that leaves a lasting impression.
The majority of the film was produced in Germany and is eligible to participate in the competition. "The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree" is not just politically relevant but is also a suspenseful and emotionally engaging film with multidimensional characters.
The clandestinely filmed work documents the protests in Iran following the death of young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022. The narrative unfolds through the tensions within a family. On one side, you have the strictly religious father Iman (Missagh Sareh), who recently began working as an investigator at the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and his devoted wife Najmeh (Soheila Golestani). On the other hand, there are the family's two rebellious teenage daughters who sympathize with the protests.
Wins at Berlinale and Cannes
Rasoulof, who won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2020 for his film "There Is No Evil," is known for his fiercely critical stance towards the Iranian government and has been imprisoned in his homeland in the past. He was recently sentenced to several years in prison in Iran and fled the country in May.
Upon arriving in Hamburg, Germany, where his daughter was studying medicine and has lived primarily since 2012, according to producer Tilgner, Rasoulof began commuting between Hamburg and Tehran until his travel was restricted during one of these trips, resulting in his being detained in Iran for several years. "We're relieved that he is now residing safely in Hamburg and is campaigning for the Oscar nomination," Tilgner stated.
At the Cannes Film Festival, Rasoulof received the Special Jury Prize. Following the film's premiere there in May, the director received an extended standing ovation from the audience, lasting over twelve minutes. Some audience members even had tears in their eyes. The director and the rest of the film team were greeted with additional minutes of standing ovations upon their arrival at the cinema hall, a short time after his escape.
The path to the Oscar is fraught with challenges yet to be overcome.
The selection of the German entry is just one of several preliminary stages. The 15-title shortlist for the International Feature Film category will be revealed on December 17, 2024. Five films will be selected and nominated from this shortlist, to be announced on January 17, 2025. The Academy Awards ceremony will then be held on March 2, 2025.
In the spring, the German submission "The Teacher's Room" by Ilker Çatak went unrecognized in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The British production "The Zone of Interest" by Jonathan Glazer, however, took home the Oscar in this category.
To date, four German productions have claimed the International Feature Film Oscar.
Recently, the German film industry has been seeing increasing international success, with the international acclaim earned by actress Sandra Hüller, whose film "Two to One" by director Natja Brunckhorst was entered as Germany's Oscar submission but ultimately lost to "The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree."
In 2023, the German literary adaptation "All Quiet on the Western Front" by director Edward Berger not only won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film but also honors in the categories of Cinematography, Production Design, and Original Score.
However, only four German productions have claimed the Best International Feature Film Oscar to date. Apart from "All Quiet on the Western Front," this achievement was also accomplished by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck with the Stasi drama "The Lives of Others" in 2007. In 1980, the film adaptation of "The Tin Drum" by Volker Schlöndorff received this award, and in 2003, "Nowhere in Africa" by Caroline Link did.
People around the world are eagerly anticipating the Oscar competition, as Germany's hopeful, Mohammad Rasoulof, will represent the country with his film "The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree." This powerful film resonates with people everywhere, as it explores political protests in Iran, a country known to many people.
