The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig(Persian:دانه‌ی انجیر معابد,romanized:Dāne-ye anjīr-e ma'ābed) is a 2024 politicaldrama filmwritten, co-produced and directed byMohammad Rasoulof. Its plot centers on Iman, an investigating judge in theRevolutionary CourtinTehran, who grapples with paranoia as nationwide political protests due to thedeath of a young womanintensify and his gun mysteriously disappears, making him distrust his wife and daughters.It stars Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Maleki. The fictional narrative is combined with real images of the2022–2023 protests in Iranthat were violently suppressed by Iranian authorities.
The Seed of the Sacred Fighad its premiere on 24 May 2024 at the main competition of the77th Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for thePalme d'Or, winning the Special Jury Prize.Ahead of its premiere, Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison by Iranian authorities.After successfully fleeing to Germany, Rasoulof and other cast and crew members attended the Cannes' red carpet premiere. The film received critical acclaim and was theatrically released in France on 18 September 2024, and in Germany on 26 December 2024. It was named theBest International Filmof 2024 by theNational Board of Review.At the82nd Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated forBest Motion Picture – Non-English Language. At the78th British Academy Film Awards, it was nominated forBest Film Not in the English Language. Also at the97th Academy Awards, it was nominated forBest International Feature Filmas theGerman entry.
Iman, a devout and honest lawyer, lives with his wife, Najmeh, and their two daughters, Rezvan and Sana. Iman has recently been appointed as an investigating judge in theRevolutionary CourtinTehran. The position provides him a higher salary and a larger apartment for his family.
As thenationwide political protests against the authoritarian governmentunfold, Iman discovers that he was not hired to use his legal expertise to investigate cases. He is expected to approve judgments presented to him by his superiors without assessing the evidence, including death sentences, and he learns his predecessor was fired for refusing. The position requires Iman to remain anonymous. He is ordered to withhold information from friends and family who could be targeted as a means of pressuring him. The government issues Iman a handgun for his family's protection, but he is woefully unprepared to handle the gun and fails to properly store it in a secure compartment in the house.
As nationwide political protests intensify, Iman's life is pervaded by mistrust and paranoia. The protests force him to sign several hundred death sentences a day. Meanwhile, Rezvan and Sana follow the protests in horror on social media. They eventually rebel against their father at dinner, causing Iman to berate them for their feminist sensibilities, which he dismisses as enemy propaganda. Najmeh, who is just as devout as Iman, advises her daughters to stay away from their revolutionary friends, putting a strain on the family. When Sadaf, a good friend of Rezvan's, is shot in the face on the street during ademonstration against compulsory hijab, Najmeh and her daughters provide first aid in their apartment. They decide to keep the incident secret from Iman. A short time later, Sadaf is arrested.
At the same time, Iman's handgun mysteriously disappears and he becomes suspicious, believing that someone in his family has taken it and is lying to him. He forces both daughters and his wife to meet with a colleague, Alireza, for interrogation. Iman justifies this treatment by saying that he no longer feels safe in his own home since he can no longer trust his family. Iman's name, photo and address are eventually posted on social media. For their own protection, Iman decides to drive with his family to a childhood home in the mountains. Before he leaves, a colleague gives him an extra firearm for protection. During the car ride, the family encounters a couple who recognize Iman. A chase ensues, as Iman runs them off the road and threatens them. Inside the car, Sana reveals to her sister that she took the gun and has it now.
Upon reaching his childhood home, Iman puts the entire family on trial. He interrogates and tries to force them to confess on a camcorder. To try and protect her mother and sister, Rezvan falsely confesses to hiding the gun. Iman locks Rezvan and Najmeh up, but Sana escapes with the gun. After setting a trap, she is able to lock Iman in a shed and free her sister and mother before he breaks out. Following a lengthy chase, Iman eventually catches Najmeh, and her screams lead Sana and Rezvan to them. Sana raises her gun at her father, but she hesitates to fire. When her father moves toward her, she panics and shoots the ground beneath him. The ground collapses and Iman falls to his presumed death.
The film ends with footage captured on mobile phones depicting women proudly protesting on the streets of Tehran.
In the past, directorMohammad Rasoulofhad repeatedly violated Iranian censorship regulations with his films and was given three prison sentences as well as bans on working and leaving the country. In 2020, his filmThere Is No Evilwon the top prize at the70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was awarded in his absence.
Rasoulof was originally scheduled to take part in the2023 Cannes Film Festivalas a jury member of theUn Certain Regardsection. However, he was arrested in July 2022 after criticizing the government's crackdown on protestors in the southwestern city of Abadan over adeadly building collapse. He was temporarily released from prison in February 2023 due to his health. Rasoulof was later pardoned and sentenced to a year in prison and a two-year ban on leaving Iran for "propaganda against the regime."
Following the Cannes selection announcement, the Iranian authorities interrogated the cast and crew, banning them from leaving the country, and pressuring them to convince Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival line-up.On 8 May 2024, Rasoulof's lawyer announced that the director had been sentenced to eight years in prison as well as flogging, a fine and confiscation of his property.
Shortly after, Rasoulof and some cast and crew members managed to flee to Europe.Rasoulof described his 28-day escape from Iran as an "exhausting, long, complicated, and anguishing journey". He traveled on foot between border villages, ultimately arriving in a town with a German consulate which identified him using his fingerprints and issued him a temporary travel document which he used to travel to Germany.Rasoulof and part of the cast and crew attended the film's red carpet at Cannes on 24 May 2024. During his appearance, he held two photographs displaying the actors Soheila Golestani and Missagh Zareh, both of whom have been unable to leave Iran.
The Seed of the Sacred Figis the tenth directorial work of Mohammad Rasoulof. The title refers toa species of figthat spreads by "wrapping itself around another tree and eventually strangling it". This was seen as a symbol of the theocratic regime in Iran.Rasoulof wrote the screenplay and cast Missagh Zareh and Soheila Golestani in the main roles of the regime-loyal couple Iman and Najmeh, respectively. Gholestani had herself campaigned against wearing the hijab during the protests and had been arrested for this.Rasoulof cast Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Malek for the roles of the daughters Rezvan and Sana, respectively.
The filming ofThe Seed of the Sacred Figtook place in secret and lasted about 70 days, from the end of December 2023 to March 2024. Rasoulof himself described it as "difficult". He could only film for a few days at a time and then had to take breaks.Rasoulof worked with cinematographer Pooyan Aghababaei.The director stated that he was in the middle of filming when he learned of his renewed prison sentence. Rasoulof was counting on the appeal process to take a long time to review his case. In addition, this period in spring coincided with theNowruz(New Year) celebrations in Iran, which lasted two weeks. In fact, Rasoulof managed to finish his film by the end of the holidays. After the appeals court confirmed the verdict, he was forced to decide within a two-hour window whether to remain in Iran and surrender to arrest or to flee. He left all his electronic devices at home and fled to a safe place before crossing the Iranian border on foot.
The footage was smuggled out of Iran to Hamburg, where it was edited byAndrew Bird, who Rasoulof had previously worked with. Post-production took place in Germany.Between the film's fictional scenes, Bird added real images of thepolitical protestsfollowing the death of Iranian Kurdish womanMahsa Aminiin police custody in Tehran on 16 September 2022. The final 168-minute version shows real and graphic internet videos of the demonstrations and the subsequent violent crackdown by authorities.
Rasoulof produced the film alongside Amin Sadraei, Mani Tilgner, Rozita Hendijanian and Jean-Christophe Simon. The production companies involved were Run Way Pictures of Germany and Parallel45 of France. It was co-produced byArte France Cinémawith the support of the MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. The Berlin-based company Films Boutique is handling the worldwide sales rights.
The Seed of the Sacred Figwas selected to compete for thePalme d'Orat the2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 24 May 2024,and went on to receive a special award by the jury, an additional designation behind the main jury awards ofPalme d'Or, Grand Prix and Jury Prize.The film received a standing ovation with reports that it lasted either 12 minutesor 15 minutes.Prior to its screening,Neonacquired North American distribution rights to the film, planning to release it later that year.Following the film's premiere,Lionsgateacquired the distribution rights for the UK and Ireland.
The film made its North American premiere at the51st Telluride Film Festival.It also screened in the Centrepiece section of the2024 Toronto International Film Festival,as well as in the Main Slate section of the62nd New York Film Festival.Pyramide Distribution theatrically released the film in France on 18 September 2024, under the titleLes Graines du figuier sauvage.Alamode Film distributed the film in Germany on 26 December 2024, under the titleDie Saat des heiligen Feigenbaums.
It was featured in the Limelight section of the54th International Film Festival Rotterdamto be screened in February 2025.
On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes, 95% of 107 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "A searing indictment of oppressive rule, whether it be of a nation or in a household,The Seed of the Sacred Figfunctions both as compelling drama and powerful political statement."Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".OnAlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on 39 reviews from French critics.A 4-star out of 5 review byPeter BradshawinThe Guardian, concluded: "The film may not be perfect, but its courage – and relevance – are beyond doubt".Another positive review, by Peter Debruge forVariety, although calling the film a "marathon domestic critique", placed it in a broader context by stating: "The situation Rasoulof depicts is hardly limited to Iran. There are echoes of Nazi Germany and modern-day China in the way average citizens submit, while the pressures to inform on one's neighbors recall pre-perestroika Soviet policies. Rasoulof's genius comes in focusing on how this dynamic plays out within a family, which makes it personal."Alissa Wilkinson, in theNew York Times, insisted on the very real consequences of "breaking the fourth-wall" in the film.
The filmmakersEdward Berger,Tim Fehlbaum,Ciro Guerra,Don Hertzfeldt,Payal Kapadia,Joshua Oppenheimer,Laura Poitras, andPaul Schraderall rankedThe Seed of the Sacred Figas one of their favorite films of 2024.
On 22 August 2024, the film was announced as Germany's submission for theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Filmat the97th Academy Awards,and made the December shortlist,before being nominated for the Academy Award on 23 January 2025.