‘Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Director Mohammad Rasoulof Says Iranian Regime Is ‘Waiting to Announce the Verdict’ for Persecuted Cast and Crew Until ‘After the Oscars’

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Mohammad Rasoulof, director of the Oscar-nominated film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” is standing behind the members of his cast and crew who have been accused of “spreading immorality and propaganda” against the Iranian regime.

Just last week, one of the film’s actors, Soheila Golestani, was banned from leaving the country and therefore unable to serve on a jury at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Speaking on a panel at the fest in collaboration with the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk, Rasoulof said he believes the regime is “waiting to announce the verdict after the Oscars,” where the film is up for best international feature. “The whole situation pacified the community, because you are in a state of waiting.

I don’t know what their reaction will be after the Oscars,” he continued. “Filmmakers are always in danger, not only because they tell stories that power doesn’t want to hear, but because their courage is very contagious.