Thiruvananthapuram: He is from Iran too. Like Jafar Panahi, his mate and contemporary filmmaker. Trouble came for Mohammad Rasoulof in 2010 when he was arrested on the sets of a film he was making, for filming without a permit. He was sentenced to six years in prison along with Panahi, but this was later reduced to a year. He also faced a 20-year ban on filmmaking.
Even so, his last two films arrived at the Cannes Film Festival, transported secretly on a USB key. The newest of these – Lerd (Man of Integrity) – went on to win the main prize in the Un Certain Regard category. The film will also feature at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) this month.
The movie deals with Reza, a 35-year-old living a quiet life with his family in a Northern Iran village. But then a private company, with close links to the government, takes control of the regional life, coveting their land, turning villagers into corruption. Rasoulof had to film it in secret, without a permit.
