Tribeca Festival Co-Founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal Condemn Sentencing Of Iranian Filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off the Cannes Film Festival where it won several awards, Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “The Seed of The Sacred Fig” has been acquired by a flurry of high profile distributors in major international territories. Films Boutique, which represents the critically acclaimed political drama globally, has sold it to Lionsgate for the U.K.

Often, the juries at the Cannes Film Festival will try to make a political statement in their choices for the winners of the world’s most famous film festival. Not this year. At least, not in the way they might have.

Marta Balaga Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” won the Fipresci award at Cannes. The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics called it “a courageous story set in modern-day Iran that deals with the conflict between tradition and progress, depicted in a very powerful and imaginative way.” Following a rapturous screening and 2024 record 12-minute standing ovation, the film became a Palme d’Or frontrunner, reported Variety.

“If we had to deal with cocaine, it would have been easier,” joked The Seed of the Sacred Fig filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof this AM at a Cannes presser about his entanglement with totalitarian Iranian authorities over his cinema which prompted the filmmaker to flee his homeland from imprisonment.

CANNES – After screening “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” a world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, one has to breathe a sigh of relief that director and screenwriter Mohammad Rasoulof is safely out of Iran. A victim of a politically motivated jail sentence for supporting the 2022 Masha Amini hijab protests, Rasoulof‘s latest feature will likely anger the Iranian government even more.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic For more than two decades, Iman (Misagh Zare) has functioned as a civil servant, doing work that his kids — who represent Iran’s younger generation — would be ashamed of. Better to keep them in the dark. At last, for his loyalty, Iman has been given a promotion, not to judge (the job he wants) but to inspector (a job no one wants).

This afternoon, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof debuted his latest feature, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, in Competition here at the Cannes Film Festival to a nearly 15-minute standing ovation.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof a few days ago absconded from his country with a heavy heart after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court for making his latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” Ironically, the groundbreaking drama is centered on an investigating judge operating within the same judicial system that has been heavily harassing the film’s producers and actors, and that intended to put Rasoulof behind bars. Having made the tough decision of escaping his beloved homeland, Rasoulof – who is among Iran’s most prominent directors – prepares to attend the film’s world premiere at Cannes on Friday.

Lexi Carson Subject Matter, the nonprofit organization that supports social issues and documentary films and other nonprofits focused on the same causes, announced its grantees “I’m Your Venus” and House Lives Matter will be awarded a total of $50,000 at the 2024 Tribeca Festival. A $25,000 grant will go to the team behind “I’m Your Venus.” Directed by Kimberly Reed and produced by Steven Cantor, Jamie Schutz and Mike Stafford, “I’m Your Venus” is “a moving and timely documentary that follows the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary ‘Paris Is Burning’ as Venus’ two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy,” reads the official logline.

The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, revealed the 2024 jury members who will select winning projects in the film, games, and audio storytelling sections. The Festival has 17 different competition categories in which jurors will honor winning storytellers and creators with artistic awards.

The Directors Guild of America is standing in solidarity with Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof who had fled authoritarian Iran, and is currently at the Cannes Film Festival with his competition title The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Tribeca Festival and Chanel have announced the artists selected for this year’s Artist Awards Program. This year’s participants, who gift an original work to be given to the festival’s winning filmmakers, include Deborah Kass, Erick & Elliot Jiménez, Glenn Ligon, Jenny Holzer, Joiri Minaya, José Parlá, Juliana Huxtable, Maia Cruz Palileo, Paul Anthony Smith and Tourmaline.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will be attending the Cannes world premiere of his latest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” having traveled to Europe clandestinely after receiving an eight-year prison sentence from the country’s authorities for making the film. Rasoulof decided to leave Iran illegally and arrived in Europe a few days ago, shortly after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court.

Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will attend Friday’s Cannes screening of his competition movie The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

Marta Balaga International filmmakers are calling for solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof and persecuted filmmakers in Iran in an open letter, shared with Variety. Rasoulof – about to screen his latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Cannes’ main competition – was sentenced to imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

calendar—is in full swing, and you better believe the A-listers are posing up a storm in the south of France.A luminous made an appearance with her daughter, Marlowe; swapped diamonds for an affordable ensemble; and supermodel just sailed into port. But we couldn’t help but notice that the women making the biggest splash are all 50-plus.By GlamourPerhaps it’s the confidence that comes with getting older, or maybe it’s just the fact that each and every one of them looks absolutely incredible, but the likes of (61), (53), (61), Isabelle Huppert (71), Julianne Moore (63), (57), Uma Thurman (54) and Jane Fonda (86) have all owned the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.Salma HayekMichelle YeohIt’s an exhaustive list of women who, in a different era, would have been subtly sidelined in the industry.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed the first international sales for Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” ahead of its world premiere on Friday in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film has been acquired in Italy by BiM Distribuzione and Lucky Red, Benelux by September Film Distribution, Spain by Bteam Pictures, Greece by Ama Films, Hungary by Cirko Film, Norway by Selmer Media, Portugal by Leopardo Filmes, Taiwan by Hooray Films and Turkey by Bir Film.

Neon has grabbed North American rights to The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the latest film from Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil, Manuscripts Don’t Burn). 

It’s a momentous Cannes for Cairo-based film professionals Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab as they mark the 15th anniversary of the creation of marketing and distribution company MAD Solutions and the 10th anniversary of spin-off the Arab Cinema Center (ACC).

Robert Plant and David Gilmour have expressed their support for the children of Steve Marriott, who are currently in a battle with his estate over AI-generated music.The children of the late Humble Pie and Small Faces frontman are currently in a dispute with the singer’s estate to prevent the release of music made by artificial intelligence in his name.Although no agreements for recordings are yet in place, they claim that the prospect of releasing AI songs replicating the singer’s voice was given the green light by the late musician’s third wife, Toni Marriott, whom he married two years before his death in 1991.In a statement to Variety, the singer, songwriter and guitarist’s daughter, Mollie, explained why she and her siblings are adamant about preventing the AI-generated recordings from being shared – describing it as “a stain” on her father’s name.“The Marriott Estate is due to release an AI solo album of old and new songs of my father, Steve. Sadly, the surviving family which comprises just my siblings Lesley, Toby, Tonya, and I, have nothing to do with the Estate as there was no will.