Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof delivered an emotional and deeply personal message while speaking in Rotterdam, condemning the violent repression of protests in Iran and expressing solidarity with those affected.
Visibly moved, Rasoulof addressed the audience during a press conference in the Dutch port city, saying he wanted to honor the victims of state violence back home. He shared his condolences with the Iranian people, describing what he called a “mass murder” carried out by the Islamic Republic and emphasizing his own sense of collective sorrow. His words underscored Mohammad Rasoulof Voices “Profound Shared Grief” Following “Mass Murder” in Iran, a sentiment that resonated strongly throughout the room.
Speaking Out on Iran From Exile
Rasoulof made the remarks through an interpreter following the world premieres of five short films created by filmmakers from Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine. Each project received €100,000 in support from the Displacement Film Fund, an initiative launched last year by Cate Blanchett in collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam and its Hubert Bals Fund.
Among the showcased works was Rasoulof’s own short film, Sense of Water. The 39-minute project, which he both wrote and directed, stars Ali Nourani and Behnush Najibi. It follows an Iranian writer living in exile as he struggles to reconnect with language and emotion while adapting to life in Germany. The character must relearn how to feel love, anger, joy, and sorrow before he can begin writing again.
Art Reflecting a Life in Exile
The story closely mirrors Rasoulof’s own experience. In 2024, the filmmaker was forced to flee Iran to avoid serving an eight-year prison sentence. His feature film The Seed of the Sacred Fig went on to receive a special jury award at the Cannes Film Festival and was later submitted by Germany in the race for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.
Reflecting on his transition to Europe, Rasoulof admitted he was uncertain whether he could continue making films in exile. He described the challenge of working within a culture he did not yet fully know, while trying to bridge his past life in Iran with his present reality abroad. Creating a story that could connect with audiences worldwide, he said, initially felt like uncharted territory.
The Emotional Power of Language
As he developed Sense of Water, Rasoulof found himself increasingly focused on language itself—specifically, the emotional distance between understanding words and truly feeling them. He explained that his goal was to explore how meaning can exist without emotion, and how breaking through that barrier is essential for anyone living in a foreign culture.
He said he hoped the film would speak to people around the world who share similar experiences of displacement, showing that it is possible to move beyond literal comprehension and genuinely feel words in another language.
“Some Things Are Beyond Words”
Despite the artistic and personal reflections, Rasoulof ultimately returned his attention to the crisis unfolding in Iran. He concluded by telling the Rotterdam audience that, beyond cinema, language, and even emotion, what mattered most to him was the reality facing his country right now.
In doing so, he once again reinforced why Mohammad Rasoulof Voices “Profound Shared Grief” Following “Mass Murder” in Iran—a statement not just of mourning, but of unwavering connection to a homeland he was forced to leave behind.
