Romantic drama Iranian triggers Crackdown on filmmakers

A man has taken a picture of directors Maryam Mogadam and Behatsh Sainiha at the 74th Berlinley International Film Festival in Berlin at the screening of the film “My Favorite Cake” (“Kike Mehobobob Man”). File | Photo Credit: Reuters

A romantic drama about an elderly couple, which shares a night together to avoid his loneliness, has launched its Iranian directors to stop their release internationally with legal allegations and pressure.

Fil-Gud film is called My favorite cake The festival circuit has been appreciated and appeared in theaters in more than a dozen countries at the end of 2024.

With favorable reviews of growing and more international release in the coming weeks, Tehran-based directors Maryam Mogadam and Behatsh Sainiha are facing growing intimidation with Iranian officials.

“They want us to stop the film’s release in various countries,” said Mr. Sainiha. The forces of the revolutionary guards raided their office in 2023, with the pair of “promoting against governance”, “the spread of libertinism and prostitution” and “vulgarity” were accused of breaking Islamic law.

Last year, he fled from Iran, other acclaimed Iranian directors from Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasolof have faced similar pressure.

It is subtle and moving, My favorite cake Iran’s strict censorship rules defines the rules with intimate illustrations of everyday life – the director couple knew that there was a risk.

“From the beginning, we knew that this was going to result in us,” Shri Sainiha continued. “Not only me and Mary … The actors are now on test, with less allegations like us, but they are in the same case.”

The film touches many sensitive issues for Iran’s Islamic rule, which recalls life before the social restrictions brought after the 1979 revolution.