Iranian Director Brings Hope and Message to Cannes with Debut Film

The Cannes Film Festival has seen a significant presence of films from Iran and India. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof's latest film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" premiered at the festival to strong reviews, despite facing eight years in prison for his previous work criticizing Iran's hard-line government. The film tells the story of a judge's struggles amid political unrest and features cast members Soheila Golestani and Missagh Zareh. Meanwhile, Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia's new film "All We Imagine as Light" premiered in the festival's main competition section, marking the first time an Indian film has played in Cannes in 30 years. The film opens with street scenes of contemporary Mumbai and is part of a remarkable turnaround for India's prolific film industry, which has supplied seven films at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.