Prevented by the Tehran regime from attending the world premiere of their film in Berlin, a pair of Iranian directors took the opportunity to advocate for women's freedom in the Islamic republic through an international platform.
The authors of "My Favorite Cake", Maryam Moghaddam and her partner Behtash Sanaeeha, running for the Golden Bear, sent a message from Tehran to the Berlin International Film Festival on Friday: "We freely and proudly dedicate the premiere of this film to the free and courageous women of our country, who have always been at the forefront of social struggles and changes, and who are trying to break down the wall of false, obsolete and fossilized beliefs, and who sacrifice themselves for freedom" , they wrote in the message read by their leading actress Lily Farhadpour.
Believing that the strict rules governing film production in Iran prevent them from showing the reality of society, the directors, aged 54 and 43, said they wanted to "portray the true image of Iranian women, who have been banned from Iranian cinema by Islamic revolution".
“We accept the consequences,” they added.
The duo had already presented their previous film ("Le Pardon", 2021), which was banned in Iran, in Berlin.
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