Filmmakers urge Iran to drop charges against 'My Favorite Cake' creators

Etienne de Ricaud (4th from left), Lily Farhadpour (4th from right), and the film team hold a photo of Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha at the My Beloved Cake photocall during the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 16, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.
Etienne de Ricaud (4th from left), Lily Farhadpour (4th from right), and the film team hold a photo of Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha at the My Beloved Cake photocall during the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 16, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.

Hundreds of prominent filmmakers including top global celebrities have signed an open letter demanding Iranian authorities drop propaganda and obscenity charges against the two directors of recent film "My Favorite Cake".

The independent film about a widow's quest for companionship defied strict censorship laws in Iran to gain international acclaim, sparking outcry over the persecution of its creators.

The petition launched on Change.org calls for the immediate and unconditional dismissal of charges against the two filmmakers Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who face trial in Tehran’s revolutionary court on March 1.

The charges include propaganda against the system, producing and distributing a film with obscene content, violating public morality and decency, and screening the film without a distribution license.

The petition has garnered widespread support from the global film community, with signatories including Pedro Almodóvar, Juliette Binoche, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, Agnieszka Holland, Joachim Trier, Céline Sciamma, Arthur Harari, Dominik Moll and the directors of the Venice, Berlin, and Rotterdam film festivals.

The statement signed by the filmmakers condemns the prosecution of Moghaddam and Sanaeeha, describing it as part of a broader crackdown on artistic expression in Iran.

It highlights that the directors have faced "months of interrogation and two years of continuous travel bans" for making the film, which portrays the life of a middle-aged woman in Tehran struggling with loneliness and societal expectations.

The film, which received critical acclaim internationally, screened in competition at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival, winning the FIPRESCI Jury Award, and later received the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival.