Latest news with #MyFavouriteCake
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Woman And Child' Director Saeed Roustaee Hints At Fears Of Arrest In Iran Over Cannes Film: 'I Hope I'll Be Able To Go Back Safely'
Saeed Roustaee has revealed that he wonders whether he will be arrested on his return to his native Iran following the premiere of his female-focused drama Mother and Child in Competition in Cannes this week. 'The last time I went back, my passport was confiscated. I hope I'll be able to go back safely. I don't know whether I'll be arrested but I certainly hope not,' the Iranian director told the press conference for the film on Friday. More from Deadline 'Woman And Child' Review: Iran's Saeed Roustaee Delivers A Fiery Feminist Portrait Of A Woman Who Refuses To Be Pushed Aside – Cannes Film Festival Iranian Director Saeed Roustaee's 'Woman And Child' Gets 10-Minute Ovation In Cannes Debut Iranian 'My Favourite Cake' Filmmakers Receive Suspended Jail Sentence & Fines For Showing Actress Without Hijab Roustaee fell foul of Iran's Islamic Regime authorities in 2023, after he screened his last film Leila's Brothers in Cannes without their permission. As well as being slapped with a travel ban, he was sentenced to six-month prison sentence and a five-year shooting ban, which were commuted on appeal. Roustaee has returned to the festival with the legal permits in place, and a film shot in adherence with the regime's stipulation that women must appear on screen with a hijab head covering, regardless of whether the scene is in a public place or private setting. This move has drawn criticism from parts of the Iranian filmmaking community in the light of the Women Life Freedom movement calling for democracy for women in Iran, and Roustaee faced tough questions at the press conference, with one journalist asking him if he was self-censoring. Roustaee replied his storytelling followed in a tradition of other Iranian directors who have sought to make social films over the last 45 years, implying since the event of the Islamic Republic in 1979. 'I don't know, whether I am self-censoring myself. I'm 35 years old. I've lived in Iran for 35 years. I'm familiar with Iranian cinema and I'm a result of this social cinema that we've had for the last 45 years. I'm following in the footsteps of other Iranian film makers. This is a tradition I've inherited,' he said. 'I don't know to what extent I indulge in self-censorship, but I do make my films in Iran, and I would like Iranians to be able to go to see my movies in a movie theaters in Iran. So, no doubt I'm careful about certain things to ensure that my film will be released.' Quizzed about the harsh vision of Iranian society that his film depicts, with a glimmer of hope at the end, Roustaee said: ' If my films are bitter, that reflects Iranian society, if Iranian society was very well and happy, then I would make a portrait of that society.' Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Euronews
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
‘My Favourite Cake' directors given suspended prison sentence in Iran for showing unveiled woman
ADVERTISEMENT Iranian directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence by an Iranian court on charges that include alleged production of obscene content in their Berlinale-premiering film My Favourite Cake – our joint Number 1 film of 2024 alongside Mohammad Rasoulof's Oscar nominated film The Seed of the Sacred Fig . After months of interrogations and travel bans over the past two years — which prevented them from attending the 2024 Berlin premiere – Moghaddam and Sanaeeha had been charged with making a film labeled as 'obscene' and 'offending public morality.' They were also accused of 'propaganda against the regime' and other charges claiming the film was 'unlawfully' screened without the Iranian authorities' permits for distribution. The Iranian court also convicted My Favourite Cake producer Gholamreza Mousavi to the same sentence as the directors, which also includes a fine of 400 million Iranian Rials (€8,240). My Favourite Cake follows a lonely septuagenarian widow Mahin (Lily Farhadpour) in Tehran who rediscovers her desires in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted. 'We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home,' Moghaddam previously said. Esmael Mehrabi and Lily Farhadpour holding a picture of directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who were banned from travelling to Berlin for the film premiere Getty The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran commented on the verdict: 'Artists in Iran endure significant hardships, including increasing censorship, arbitrary detentions and the constant threat of legal repercussions for expressing dissent through their work.' The 14-month sentence, which has been suspended for five years, comes after the global film community rallied in support of the directors with a petition whose signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Juliette Binoche and the aforementioned Mohammad Rasoulof . Mohammad Rasoulof speaks to Euronews Culture Euronews Culture In our interview with Mohammad Rasoulof, he stated: 'I'd like to flag up the filmmakers of My Favourite Cake, Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who are undergoing all sorts of problems inside Iran. They are banned from leaving the country because of their films, and in fact, they are being investigated for similar charges for spreading prostitution and corruption on Earth, for instance. This atmosphere will be the cause of a series of new problems because in the world now, it's not possible to control content, like the Iranian regime does. The result of this is more and more repression, and acts of subversion will surface, as the government cannot control everything.' You can read the full interview here . In our review for My Favourite Cake , we wrote: 'My Favourite Cake is a gently subversive film that dares to pepper radicalism within a poignant tragicomedy. (...) Behind a seemingly harmless set up and a Linklater-ish second half lies messages of female empowerment that are not tolerated under the nation's repressive regime. Driven by two magnificent central performances, which make the allegorically loaded epilogue truly resonant, Moghaddam and Sanaeeh's film is a subtle but powerful snapshot of the harsh realities facing Iranian women, as well as a commentary about what could befall those daring to take control of their destinies. It's impressive and haunting in equal measure.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘My Favourite Cake' directors given suspended prison sentence in Iran for showing unveiled woman
Iranian directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence by an Iranian court on charges that include alleged production of obscene content in their Berlinale-premiering film My Favourite Cake – our joint Number 1 film of 2024 alongside Mohammad Rasoulof's Oscar nominated film . After months of interrogations and travel bans over the past two years — which prevented them from attending the 2024 Berlin premiere – Moghaddam and Sanaeeha had been charged with making a film labeled as 'obscene' and 'offending public morality.' They were also accused of 'propaganda against the regime' and other charges claiming the film was 'unlawfully' screened without the Iranian authorities' permits for distribution. The Iranian court also convicted My Favourite Cake producer Gholamreza Mousavi to the same sentence as the directors, which also includes a fine of 400 million Iranian Rials (€8,240). My Favourite Cake follows a lonely septuagenarian widow Mahin (Lily Farhadpour) in Tehran who rediscovers her desires in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted. 'We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home,' Moghaddam previously said. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran commented on the verdict: 'Artists in Iran endure significant hardships, including increasing censorship, arbitrary detentions and the constant threat of legal repercussions for expressing dissent through their work.' The 14-month sentence, which has been suspended for five years, comes after the global film community rallied in support of the directors with a petition whose signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Juliette Binoche and the aforementioned Mohammad Rasoulof. In our interview with Mohammad Rasoulof, he stated: 'I'd like to flag up the filmmakers of My Favourite Cake, Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who are undergoing all sorts of problems inside Iran. They are banned from leaving the country because of their films, and in fact, they are being investigated for similar charges for spreading prostitution and corruption on Earth, for instance. This atmosphere will be the cause of a series of new problems because in the world now, it's not possible to control content, like the Iranian regime does. The result of this is more and more repression, and acts of subversion will surface, as the government cannot control everything.' You can read the full interview here. In our review for , we wrote: 'My Favourite Cake is a gently subversive film that dares to pepper radicalism within a poignant tragicomedy. (...) Behind a seemingly harmless set up and a Linklater-ish second half lies messages of female empowerment that are not tolerated under the nation's repressive regime. Driven by two magnificent central performances, which make the allegorically loaded epilogue truly resonant, Moghaddam and Sanaeeh's film is a subtle but powerful snapshot of the harsh realities facing Iranian women, as well as a commentary about what could befall those daring to take control of their destinies. It's impressive and haunting in equal measure.'
Express Tribune
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Iran directors get jail time for acclaimed film
An Iranian court has handed two Iranian film directors suspended jail terms over a film that angered authorities in the Islamic republic but was acclaimed in Europe and the United States, rights groups said on Thursday. Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha were convicted earlier this week by a Revolutionary Court for the film My Favourite Cake, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) and Dadban legal monitor said in separate statements. The film, which competed at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival and won prizes in Europe and the United States, shows the voyage of discovery of an elderly woman in Tehran who notably appears in the film without the headscarf that is obligatory for women in Iran. The pair were sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for five years, and a fine on charges of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion", Dadban said. In addition, they were sentenced to one year in prison, also suspended for five years, and all equipment ordered confiscated for the charge of "participating in the production of vulgar content". Another fine was ordered on the charge of "showing a film without a screening licence", it added. "Artists in Iran endure significant hardships, including increasing censorship, arbitrary detentions, and the constant threat of legal repercussions for expressing dissent through their work," said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, commenting on the verdict. Even before their conviction, Moghaddam and Sanaeeha were banned from leaving Iran to attend the Berlin film festival and then promote the film when it was released in Europe. "We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home," Moghaddam told AFP in an interview earlier this year. AFP
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Iranian directors of My Favourite Cake given suspended jail sentences for ‘spreading lies'
An Iranian court has handed two Iranian film directors suspended jail terms over a film that angered authorities in its home country but was acclaimed in Europe and the US, rights groups said on Thursday. Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha were convicted earlier this week by a revolutionary court for their film My Favourite Cake, the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) and Dadban legal monitor said in separate statements. The film, which competed at the 2024 Berlin film festival and won prizes in Europe and the US, shows the romantic awakening of a woman in Tehran who notably appears without the headscarf that is obligatory for women in Iran. The pair were sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for five years, and a fine on charges of 'spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion', Dadban said. In addition, they were sentenced to one year in prison, also suspended for five years, and all equipment ordered confiscated for the charge of 'participating in the production of vulgar content'. Another fine was ordered on the charge of 'showing a film without a screening licence', it added. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran commented on the verdict, saying: 'Artists in Iran endure significant hardships, including increasing censorship, arbitrary detentions and the constant threat of legal repercussions for expressing dissent through their work.' Even before their conviction, Moghaddam and Sanaeeha were banned from leaving Iran to attend the Berlin film festival and then promote the film when it was released in Europe. 'We wanted to tell the story of the reality of our lives, which is about those forbidden things like singing, dancing, not wearing hijab at home, which no one does at home,' Moghaddam said earlier this year. News of the verdict came as the Cannes film festival announced that the new movie by another leading director banned from leaving Iran, Jafar Panahi, would be screened at its 2025 edition. Another recent Iranian film, Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig, which explicitly deals with the 2022-23 protest movement, resulted in the director and several of its actors fleeing the country, and those who remained unable to leave and subject to prosecution.
