Cannes winner “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is shortlisted as Germany’s Oscar submission for Best International Film. The country could not have chosen a better film than the political parable by Iranian exile Mohammad Rasoulof.
In the midst of the political unrest in Tehran following the murder of Mahsa Amini, Judge Iman finds himself confronted with pressure from the regime. Having just been promoted to investigating judge at the revolutionary court, he remains loyal to the state while his daughters are gripped by the protests and his wife desperately tries to keep the family together. When his service gun disappears, he suspects his wife and daughters, starting an investigation in his own home in which all boundaries are crossed. The intense psychological family drama opens with a quote that explains the political metaphor in the title: “The seeds, in bird droppings, fall on other trees. Roots spring up and grow down to the floor. Then, the branches wrap around the host tree and strangle it. Finally, the sacred fig stands on its own.”The image of suffocation is reflected in the stifling web of lies, mistrust, and state control, as well as the breakdown of social bonds and human empathy. It is hard not to relate Rasoulof’s parable of repression and resistance to the dynamics of authoritarian systems—both past and present.
The Film Idea Came to Him in Prison
The idea for the thriller arose from an encounter in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where director Mohammad Rasoulof was being held. A guard “pulled me aside and said he wanted to hang himself […]. He suffered from an intense pang of conscience, but did not have the courage to free himself from the hatred for his job. Stories like these convince me that eventually, the women’s movement in Iran will succeed […]. Repressions may temporarily keep the situation under the government’s control, but eventually, like in many instances we’ve seen before, the government will surrender.”The film's producer, Mani Tilgner, pointed out at the Arab Critics' Award acceptance ceremony that the film had struck a nerve:
This recognition gives us the certainty that we have not only succeeded in producing a good film under difficult conditions, but also in telling a story that moves people all over the world—whether in the USA, Europe or the Arab countries.
A German Oscar Entry Like No Other
Germany is not short on political Oscar submissions, from Schlöndorff’s winning anti-war film The Tin Drum to Stasi drama The Lives of Others to the four-Oscar success of trench drama All Quiet on the Western Front. Rasoulof’s film is the first to shift perspective and voice away from, and then reflect it back onto, German experiences—including artists’ being forced to leave their homeland: “I had to choose between prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile,” the Berlinale winner Rasoulof commented.He himself has called his film’s Oscar nomination “complicated” and “bittersweet,” acknowledging “mixed feelings.” “I'm delighted Germany saw the international scope of the film and opened its arms. It's a sign to all filmmakers working under duress around the world,” Rasoulof said while touring in the USA after the Oscar submission.
Reacting more bluntly to criticism about an Iran-set Farsi film representing German cinema at the Oscars, Rasoulof counters:
It's a new way of thinking and it's understandable that there's resistance to it. I'm not surprised that many expected the German contribution to be a film in German, about and for Germany. But the main thing is where it was produced -- we have fulfilled this requirement.
Iran’s Oscar Entry as a Contrasting Programme
As a bizarre foil, Iran's official Oscar entry is called In The Arms Of The Tree, a drama the regime claims showcases “the beauty of this country” and portrays “the authenticity of the Iranian family.” The Seed of the Sacred Fig, an artistic monument to women fighting for their rights and freedom, would undoubtedly be a powerful, humanistic, and hopeful Oscar winner for any country.February 2025