Iranian film director sentenced to 8 years, flogging

A court in Iran has sentenced acclaimed film director Mohammad Rasoulof to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer Babak Paknia said on Wednesday (May 8).

Rasoulof’s new drama The Seed Of The Sacred Fig is due to premiere at the main competition at Cannes Film Festival on May 24.

The director, 52, has been sentenced to eight years in prison but will only serve five, Mr Paknia said in a post on social media platform X.

Under Iranian law, jail sentences run concurrently.

According to the lawyer, the verdict had been confirmed by the appeals court and also included “flogging, a fine, and confiscation of property”.

He said that the court had found Rasoulof guilty of “collusion against national security”.

Official media in Iran have yet to publish the verdict.

On April 30, Mr Paknia said Iranian authorities had summoned for questioning some crew members involved in the production of The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, adding that they were under pressure to have it withdrawn from the Cannes festival.

(With inputs from agencies)