Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled his country this year in order to present his new film to the world and to keep working freely. He speaks to Euronews Culture about the year that changed his life and representing Germany at the Oscars.
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00:00What was he doing?
00:30Why did you decide to make this film?
00:39The film has had an enormous amount of success.
00:42Not only in Cannes, but like you said, the submission for Germany, for the Oscars.
00:47And we're here today, hopefully to honour your film as well.
00:50Going forward, what do you expect, what are your ambitions for next year, for example, or the years to come?
00:57When I was standing on the borders of Iran, and I was going to my neighbour's country,
01:09I turned around and looked behind me, and I felt that I couldn't take the next step.
01:17Because I'm very attached to the geography of Iran, to the people of Iran, to the colour of Iran.
01:24I knew that if I went back to prison, I wouldn't be able to work as a filmmaker.
01:36As a filmmaker, I could continue my work outside of prison, and it was important for me to be able to continue.
01:44Now, I'm in a safe place, in a space where I can make a film freely.
01:54And I hope that I can continue my work on the path that I have always thought about,
02:01and in connection with the issues within Iran,
02:10I hope that I can continue my work on the path that I have always thought about,
02:18and in connection with the issues within Iran,
02:25and I hope that I can continue my work on the path that I have always thought about,
02:32and I hope that I can continue my work on the path that I have always thought about,
02:40Filmmaking, in and of itself, is an act of hope,
02:43and we see that hope with the two daughters in the film, Rezvan and Sana.
02:48And beyond filmmaking, for you, how do you keep that hope alive,
02:55especially considering there continues to be this violent repression?
03:00I think that meaning and purpose of life is something that provides the necessary energy in a person.
03:10Freedom is a daily necessity,
03:15and I think that this need is very hopeful for me,
03:25especially for Iranian filmmakers and filmmakers under censorship,
03:30who are going through very difficult times,
03:32and many of them are creating very valuable works in this situation.
03:37I think that we should not forget that this is a special situation,
03:42and many people are creating beautiful works from the heart of those difficulties,
03:48and their work has a great impact.
03:56Thank you very much.