Iranian director duo Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been not too long ago banned by Iranian authorities from touring to this 12 months’s Berlin Movie Pageant, the place their drama “My Favorite Cake” is premiering in competitors.

The movie is a couple of 70-year-old girl named Mahin who has been residing alone in Tehran ever since her husband died and her daughter left for Europe. Out of the blue an incident prompts Mahin to interrupt her solitary routine and revitalize her love life. The administrators have a historical past with the Berlinale, the place their earlier work, “Ballad of a White Cow,” premiered in 2021 with the administrators in tow.

They spoke to Selection by way of Zoom from Tehran in regards to the elevated crackdown in opposition to filmmakers of their nation.

What have Iranian authorities carried out to forestall you from coming to Berlin?

Behtash Sanaeeha: Really, it began six months in the past when safety guards raided our editor’s place. They took all of the onerous drives and computer systems and the whole lot associated to the movie. And after just a few days, they referred to as us and summoned us to the workplaces of safety forces, the place we [underwent] numerous interrogations in regards to the movie they usually pushed us to cease making it. To cease engaged on the post- manufacturing. However we instructed them that the movie [materials] weren’t in Iran. That the supplies they present in Iran have been simply the skeleton of the challenge and that we have been doing all of the submit outdoors Iran, in France. In order that they began a courtroom case in opposition to us that’s nonetheless pending. Then, a few months later, once we wished to go away Tehran to go to Paris to complete the submit, they confiscated our passports on the airport. Now the interrogations proceed and we didn’t get the permission to come back to Berlin.

“My Favourite Cake” was clearly made in Iran. Was it shot with permits from Iranian authorities?

Maryam Moghaddam: Really we acquired a allow to shoot a brief movie. For all [Iranian] filmmakers who’re looking for a option to shoot their [feature] movie, an important factor is the capturing allow that’s given by the police and the Ministry of Islamic Tradition. So all of them get some type of permission for a brief movie, or a documentary or one thing. That’s how we have been capable of shoot.

Sanaeeha: We despatched them a script for a brief directed by different individuals, not by us.

Discuss to me about the submission course of to the Berlin Movie Pageant. I think about it got here as a shock to Iranian authorities.

Moghaddam: Yeah, for certain. They didn’t need the movie to be in Berlin, essentially the most political movie competition on this planet. In order that they pushed us to cease it, however really it was not one thing that we may do. And actually, we didn’t wish to as a result of it’s a fantastic honor for a filmmaker to be within the huge competition like Berlin. In order that they pushed and they’re nonetheless pushing. However really it’s not one thing that’s in our palms. The choice was made by the gross sales agent and the producers.

Why do you suppose “My Favourite Cake” rubbed Iranian authorities the incorrect method?

Sanaeeha: It crosses all of the pink traces they’ve had in [Iran] for the previous 45 years: Like obligatory hijab; like ingesting alcohol; like dancing for girls. It has the whole lot that’s forbidden for girls and that’s not allowed to be proven within the films. Every thing. This can be a story with characters that folks all around the world can determine with. It’s about life. It’s about loss of life and life and love and isolation. However it crosses all of the pink traces in Iran.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.