The feature film THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG by Mohammad Rasoulof has been nominated for an Oscar® in the Best International Feature Film category. This was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Thursday, January 23, 2025. This is the third time in a row that the German entry has entered the race for the Foreign Oscar®.
Statement by producers Rozita Hendijanian and Mani Tilgner from Run Way Pictures on the nomination:
We are very honored that THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG has been nominated for an Oscar®. We are happy that this great and brave film by Mohammad Rasoulof and the efforts of the whole team, who were willing to take every kind of risk, are now also recognized by the Academy. Furthermore, we would also like to thank the members of the Academy and everyone else who has supported us along the way.
Back in December, THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG was shortlisted from 85 films from various countries around the world approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, the original date for the announcement of the nominations was postponed from January 17 to January 23.
The German entry has now cleared the final hurdle. Together with the films I'M STILL HERE (Brazil), THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (Denmark), EMILIA PÉREZ (France) und FLOW (Latvia), THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG will compete for the Oscar® in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards® in Los Angeles on March 2.
In August 2024, a nine-member independent jury selected THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG produced by Run Way Pictures as the German entry for the Oscars® from 13 films submitted.
The entries from Germany – the social drama THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE by İlker Çatak and the war drama ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Edward Berger - had already made it to the final five nominees in the previous two years. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT ended up not only winning the Oscar® in the Best International Feature Film category, but also picked up another three statuettes (Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Production Design).
“For the third time in a row, the German entry has been nominated in the Best International Film category. This is really good news and a special tribute to German film. Numerous good films from all over the world are submitted in this category. The fact that the German entry has once again made it to the final five nominees shows the great interest at international level. THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG is a psychogram of Iran's theocracy built on violence and paranoia. Mohammad Rasoulof subtly speaks about the rifts within a family that are representative of the rifts within Iranian society. The film is an outstanding work by one of the great directors of world cinema who has found refuge in Germany. Congratulations to the whole team of THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG!”, says Simone Baumann, Managing Director of German Films.
The last 25 years have seen German films picking up a total of eleven Oscar® nominations in this category: THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE by İlker Çatak, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Edward Berger (2023), NEVER LOOK AWAY by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2018), TONI ERDMANN by Maren Ade (2016), THE WHITE RIBBON by Michael Haneke (2009), THE BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX by Oliver Hirschbiegel (2008), THE LIVES OF OTHERS by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006), SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS by Marc Rothemund (2005), DOWNFALL by Oliver Hirschbiegel (2004) and Caroline Link with her two films NOWHERE IN AFRICA (2002) and BEYOND SILENCE (1997).
The coveted Oscar® statuette went to Germany on three occasions during this period: to ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Edward Berger in 2023, to THE LIVES OF OTHERS by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in 2006 and to NOWHERE IN AFRICA by Caroline Link in 2002.
