One thing was that I realized a metaphorical language that I had had in my earliest films

was a product of my fear of the government and of the institution.

It was almost a product of self-censorship.

I decided that I no longer want to be subject to that fear

that forces me to use a metaphorical and an allegorical language.

And I want to be straightforward in my films.

And then after I realized that it is no longer fear

that is forming my language,

I wanted to find a middle ground between reality and allegory or metaphor.

I wanted to find a middle ground. Hello and welcome back to the Director's Cut, brought to you by the Directors' Guild of America.

In this episode, a Tehran family's domestic life unravels amid growing political unrest in Muhammad Rasulov's

drama, the seat of the sacred fig.

Screened as part of the DGA's global cinema series, the film tells the story of Iman,

an investigating judge of Tehran's court system, who becomes increasingly paranoid after

his gun goes missing.

With his wife and daughters as the prime suspects,

he grapples with distrust in his household as political unrest unfolds in the streets.

In addition to the seat of the sacred fig,

Rasulov's other directorial credits include the feature films,

There Is No Evil, A Man of Integrity, Manuscripts

Don't Burn, and The White Meadows. Following the global cinema series screening of the film

at the DGA Theater in New York, Rasulov spoke with director Ramin Barani about filming

...