Iran director in exile says 'bittersweet' to rep Germany at Oscars

Forced to flee Iran, dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof says it is bittersweet that his latest movie will contend at the Oscars -- under the banner of another country.

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’, a paranoid thriller that was shot in secret and depicts a family torn apart by Iran's brutally repressive politics, has earned rave reviews and won many festival prizes, including at Cannes.

But each country can submit just one movie for the best international film Oscar, and in authoritarian countries like Iran, that choice of film is made by state-controlled organisations.

"Of course, it is unimaginable that the Islamic Republic could have submitted a film like this for the Academy Awards," Rasoulof told AFP.

"In fact, if it were possible for the regime to submit it, the film would not have been made in the first place."

Instead, the film -- out Wednesday in US theaters -- has been selected as Germany's entry at the Academy Awards.

Germany has become an adopted homeland for Rasoulof. The movie was produced by German and French companies.

"Sacred Fig" now has a strong chance of being nominated at the glitzy Hollywood ceremony, and gaining huge global exposure.

"I'm delighted Germany saw the international scope of the film and opened its arms... it's like shining a torch, a sign to all filmmakers working under duress around the world," Rasoulof said while promoting the film in Los Angeles this month.

But "it is bittersweet," he said. "I have got pretty mixed feelings."

The movie is set during the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests that took place two years ago in Iran.

Those demonstrations were sparked by the death of a young woman after her arrest by "morality police" for violating the clerical regime's strict dress code.

Hundreds were killed in the ensuing crackdown by security forces, according to human rights groups.

The film follows Iman, an ambitious investigator-judge working for the regime, his wife Najmeh, and their two more curious and rebellious young daughters.

Iman is initially conflicted by having to sign death warrants without evidence. But regime pressure mounts on and corrupts him, driving a wedge through the family -- especially after his gun disappears from the home.

Rasoulof barely managed to attend the film's Cannes premiere in May, after daringly fleeing Iran on foot through treacherous mountain passes just days earlier.

The auteur, who has already spent time in jail, had just been sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for denouncing the "corruption" and "incompetence" of authorities.

At the Cannes premiere, he held up photos of two lead actors in the film who were trapped in Iran.

One, Soheila Golestani, remains in Iran and faces "the greatest amount of pressure" as court proceedings have again accelerated against the filmmakers in recent weeks, said Rasoulof.

Iran's official entry this year is "In The Arms Of The Tree." State media describes it as a drama that showcases "the beauty of this country" and portrays "the authenticity of the Iranian family."

Rasoulof admits he has little interest in watching any films "made following the dictates of Iranian censorship." "They tend to be quite removed from reality. If you watch them, you feel that your intelligence is being insulted," he said.

For his latest film, Rasoulof drew on classic Hollywood influences, particularly for a fast-paced, intense and thoroughly creepy final act.

"I was influenced by two films -- 'Straw Dogs' by Sam Peckinpah, and 'The Shining' by Stanley Kubrick," he said. "I really enjoyed playing with genres and mixing them in new ways," he said.

Among his next projects is an animated feature, which will tell the story of Abbas Nalbandian, a radical playwright who "had very momentous experiences around the (Iranian) Revolution."

The idea to work in animation came out of necessity, four or five years ago, when "I was thinking that I might not be able to film anything on the streets," recalled Rasoulof. "I was looking for ways to work around that."

But he is now keen to complete the project, even in exile -- a reality that he admits is yet to fully sink in. "It's very hard to realise that it's actually been six months... that I'm a filmmaker-in-exile right now," said Rasoulof. "I miss Iran very much."