ÍRÁN:CI > FILMS > FEATURE

THE WHITE MEADOWS + Q&A

کشتزارهای سپید

DIRECTED BY: Mohammad Rasoulof

Year: 2009
Country: Iran
Length: 93′
Language: Persian
Subtitles: EN,CZ
Premiere: San Sebastian IFF

The white meadows + Q&A

کشتزارهای سپید

DIRECTED BY: Mohammad Rasoulof

A withdrawn and quiet boatman navigates the increasingly brackish waters of scattered islands, collecting the tears of its inhabitants. The islands are cursed by the salt from the sea, and the skies stubbornly refuse to give rain to wash it away. Every island deals with this in their own way; all with equal futility. Despite his unending efforts to ease their pain, the boatman remains powerless against the residents’ attempts to appease the gods to make their salt pan of islands green again, whether by offering a bride to the sea or by forcibly treating the eyes of a painter who sees the world in different colours.

It is only when he is joined on his mysterious journey by a young boy searching for his father that years of ceaseless journeys to these islands begin to find a different meaning for the boatman and for the islands he visits.

A masterpiece of Iranian cinema and an enthralling journey into the dark realm of Iranian politics, The White Meadows draws first-hand on the harsh realities and the challenges faced by Iranian artists of today and is a brave, deeply atmospheric and mesmerizing allegory of intolerance and brutality.

TRAILER

SCREENINGS

Mohammad Rasoulof

Born in Shiraz in 1972, Mohammad Rasoulof started his filmmaking career with documentaries while studying sociology at university. His first film, The Twilight, won the Best Film at the Fajr Film Festival in Iran. Following the release of his second film, Iron Island, which premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, he ran into major difficulties with censorship laws in Iran and his opportunities to go on producing and screening films were severely limited by the Iranian authorities.

To date, Mohammad Rasoulof has produced seven feature films, none of which have been screened in Iran due to censorship, even though they have enjoyed wide audiences abroad. Rasoulof’s cinema had originally relied on allegorical narratives as a means for expression and criticism, until 2010 when he decisively opted for a more direct form of engagement. In March 2010, Rasoulof was arrested while directing a project alongside Jafar Panahi. In the subsequent trial, he was sentenced to six years in prison, a sentence that was later reduced to one year. He was then released on bail.

Mohammad Rasoulof has been awarded many accolades for his films. In 2011, he won the Best Director for his film, Goodbye at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, he won the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at Un Certain Regard for Manuscripts Don’t Burn. In 2017, he won the main prize at the Un Certain Regard section for A Man of Integrity. Upon returning to Iran in September 2017, he was officially banned from leaving the country, a verdict which is still in effect. He was accused of ‘endangering national security’ and ‘spreading propaganda against the Islamic government’. He was sentenced to one year in prison and was prohibited from joining any political and social organizations. All these limitations have not stopped Rasoulof from working. His latest film, There Is No Evil, which he made without any official permissions from the Iranian authorities, won the golden bear for the best film at the Berlinale Film Festival.

In July 2022, Rasoulof was arrested in the wake of a violent government crackdown, on the pretext of a one-year prison sentence issued for his film, The Man of Integrity. He is still in prison today.


GALLERY