Iran Interrogates Producers of Rasoulof's Cannes Film

Iranian authorities have summoned and interrogated producers of Mohammad Rasoulof's new film, 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' following its selection for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

They were interrogated and subsequently prohibited from leaving the country.

Lawyer Babak Paknia reported on his social media account: "Certain members of the production team of the movie 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, have been summoned and interrogated by authorities over the past and this week."

Some of the actors in the film have also been subjected to travel bans. 

After enduring hours of interrogation, they were pressured to convince the director to withdraw the film from the festival.

Rasoulof was asked to join the Cannes jury in 2023, but he could not make it due to Iran's travel restrictions on him. 

The filmmaker of 'There Is No Evil' was prohibited from leaving Iran after he was detained in July 2022 for sharing comments denouncing the government crackdown on the nationwide protests that year.