Neon unveiled the official trailer for Mohammad Rasoulof’s ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ recently selected as this year’s Germany Academy Awards entry for the Best International Feature Film.

Shot entirely in secret in Iran, the film world premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, after Rasoulof narrowly escaped after receiving an eight-year prison sentence. It also screened at the 51st Telluride Film Festival, the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and is currently screening at the 62nd New York Film Festival.

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ stars Misagh Zare, Soheila Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Reza Akhlaghi, Shiva Ordooei, and Amineh Arani.

Release Date

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ opens in select US theaters on November 27, 2024.

Synopsis

Shot entirely in secret, Mohammad Rasoulof’s award-winning thriller, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, centers on a family thrust into the public eye when Iman is appointed as an investigating judge in Tehran. As political unrest erupts in the streets, Iman realizes that his job is even more dangerous than expected, making him increasingly paranoid and distrustful, even of his own wife Najmeh and daughters Sana and Rezvan.

“What finally led to the making of The Seed of the Sacred Fig was my experience of being re-arrested in the summer of 2022. This time my experience in prison was unique since it coincided with the beginning of the Jina (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising in Iran,” Rasoulof said about the inspiration behind the film. “Other political prisoners and I were following the social changes inside the prison. While the protests were going in an unexpected direction and had a significant extent, we were amazed by the protests’ scope and the women’s bravery.”

Reviews

Ryan Lattanzio in an IndieWire review gave the film a score of A-, writing, “Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.”

Josh Parham in a Next Best Picture review gave the film a score of 8/10, writing, “What is presented is a daring piece of filmmaking that’s willing to strike back against harms being enacted within the political realm, no matter how dire those consequences may be for those who choose to fight back.”

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for ‘The Seed of The Sacred Fig.’