{"id":2243616,"date":"2024-05-13T15:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T19:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/filmmaker-flees-to-europe-after-latest-movie-comes-with-an-8-year-prison-sentence\/"},"modified":"2024-05-13T15:59:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T19:59:16","slug":"filmmaker-flees-to-europe-after-latest-movie-comes-with-an-8-year-prison-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/filmmaker-flees-to-europe-after-latest-movie-comes-with-an-8-year-prison-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"Director Escapes to Europe Following Film&#8217;s Release Leading to 8-Year Jail Term"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffilmmaker-flees-to-europe-after-latest-movie-comes-with-an-8-year-prison-sentence%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2243616&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian director of \u200c&#8221;The Seed of the Sacred Fig,&#8221; fled \u2062to Europe after his\u2064 film was\u2063 accepted \u2062by \u2064the Cannes \u200bFilm Festival, avoiding\u200b an 8-year\u2064 prison sentence imposed by Iranian authorities. Despite challenges,\u2063 Rasoulof remains dedicated\u200c to challenging censorship and advocating\u2063 for creative freedom. Mohammad\u200b Rasoulof, \u2063the Iranian \u2064director of &#8220;The Seed of \u200bthe\u2064 Sacred Fig,&#8221; \u2064escaped to\u200c Europe following his film&#8217;s Cannes Film\u2063 Festival acceptance, eluding an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putin-critic-sentenced-to-25-years-on-treason-charges\/\" title=\"Putin Critic Sentenced to 25 Years on Treason Charges\">8-year prison term<\/a> from Iranian authorities.\u2063 Despite hurdles, Rasoulof persists in opposing censorship and championing artistic liberty.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/%20\"><span>Jack Davis<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   May 13, 2024 at 10:57am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>In America, a filmmaker who makes it big is honored. In Iran, they get prison.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has left Iran and secretly traveled to Europe after his latest film \u201cThe Seed of the Sacred Fig\u201d was accepted by the Cannes Film Festival, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/film\/global\/mohammad-rasoulof-leaves-iran-prison-sentence-cannes-seed-of-the-sacred-fig-1236000724\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Variety<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are very happy and much relieved that Mohammad has safely arrived in Europe after a dangerous journey,\u201d said Jean-Christophe Simon, CEO of Films Boutique and Parallel45, which are distributing the film. \u201cWe hope he will be able to attend the Cannes premiere of \u2018The Seed of the Sacred Fig\u2019 in spite of all attempts to prevent him from being there in person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rasoulof, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine, and confiscation of property, Babak Paknia, a lawyer representing Rasoulof said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/article\/2024\/may\/08\/iranian-director-sentenced-prison-flogging-mohammad-rasoulof\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Paknia said Rasoulof\u2019s films have been condemned by an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/iran-appears-fulfilling-key-biblical-prophecy-tied-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iranian court<\/a> as \u201cexamples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country\u2019s security\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is accused of making [\u201cThe Seed of the Sacred Fig\u201d] without obtaining a license from the related authorities, alongside accusations that the actresses were not applying hijab properly and were filmed without hijab. All key members of the film are banned from leaving the country and have been investigated by the security forces of the Ministry of Intelligence,\u201d Paknia said.<\/p>\n<p>Variety noted that Rasoulof has been dueling with Iranian authorities over his work since 2011, when he was slapped with a later-rescinded sentence of six years in prison and a 20-year ban on making movies. In 2017, Iran revoked his passport after he made \u201cA Man of Integrity\u201d about corruption in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rapper-sentenced-death-iran-lyrics-regime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rasoulof issued a statement about his clandestine move, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/05\/mohammad-rasoulof-europe-iran-cannes-film-festival-eight-year-prison-1235913875\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deadline<\/a>. In the statement he said his choice was \u201cbetween prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile. The Islamic Republic confiscated my passport in September 2017. Therefore, I had to leave Iran secretly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said others have it worse.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Do you think Rasoulof will serve prison time?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cDeath sentences are being executed as the Islamic Republic has targeted the lives of protesters and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/civil-rights-attorneys-submit-letter-to-manhattan-da-claiming-nypd-fbi-conspired-in-malcolm-x-assassination\/\" title=\"Civil rights attorneys submit letter to Manhattan DA claiming NYPD, FBI conspired in Malcolm X assassination\">civil rights activists<\/a>. It\u2019s hard to believe, but right now as I\u2019m writing this, the young rapper, Toomaj Salehi is held in prison and has been sentenced to death,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe scope and intensity of repression has reached a point of brutality where people expect news of another heinous government crime every day. The criminal machine of the Islamic Republic is continuously and systematically violating human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the statement, he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/iranian-professor-makes-frightening-prediction-anti-israel-protesters-college-campuses-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran\u2019s intelligence service<\/a> has put pressure on all of the actors and crew involved in the movie.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite the vast limitations I and my colleagues and friends faced while making the film, I tried to achieve a cinematic narrative that is far from the narrative dominated by the censorship in the Islamic Republic and closer to its reality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have no doubt that restricting and suppressing freedom of expression cannot be justified even if it becomes a spur for creativity, but when there is no way, a way must be made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Independent Filmmaker Association criticized the sentence, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/05\/09\/middleeast\/iran-rasoulof-prison-sentence-flogging-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clvykgv7t0000356j6er0m74v@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cOnce again, the judiciary\u2019s verdict against Mohammad\u00a0Rasoulof\u00a0proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clvyihn100000356h0wyghqsu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\">\u201cIndependent and freedom-loving cinematographers condemn the invalid judgment of the judiciary against Mohammad Rasoulof and stand by him and all the artists who make fun of government censorship.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-rises-as-he-promises-hes-only-begun-to-fight-put-on-full-armor-of-god-to-fight-the-left\/\" title=\"DeSantis Rises As He Promises He\u2019s \u2018Only Begun To Fight\u2019: \u2018Put On Full Armor Of God\u2019 To Fight The Left\">fight back hard<\/a>, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44685\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44685\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44685\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44685\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44685\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-military-issues-dire-warning-about-chinas-rapid-military-nuclear-weapons-buildup\/\" title=\"U.S. Military Issues Dire Warning About China\u2019s Rapid Military, Nuclear Weapons Buildup\">military issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues. <br \/> Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com. <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  New York City <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Politics, Foreign Policy, Military &#038; Defense Issues <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Renowned Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, creator of &#8220;The Seed of the Sacred Fig,&#8221; flees Iran for Europe as his film is selected for the Cannes Film Festival, evading a looming prison sentence, a stark contrast to the honor filmmakers receive in America for their success<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":661,"featured_media":2243617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mohammad-Rasoulof.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2243616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mohammad-Rasoulof.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2243616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2243617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2243616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2243616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2243616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}