Sean Rameswaram

That's just about all the English we got out of the seat of the Sacred Figs director. The rest of our conversation was done through a translator who was with him in his New York City hotel. We started with the craziest thing about this movie, that it was shot in secret in Tehran.

When people in our audience hear that this movie was filmed in secret in Iran, they might imagine, oh, there were a lot of interior shots, you know, scenes set inside buildings, scenes set inside apartments, whatever it might be. That's how you film a movie secretly.

When people in our audience hear that this movie was filmed in secret in Iran, they might imagine, oh, there were a lot of interior shots, you know, scenes set inside buildings, scenes set inside apartments, whatever it might be. That's how you film a movie secretly.

When people in our audience hear that this movie was filmed in secret in Iran, they might imagine, oh, there were a lot of interior shots, you know, scenes set inside buildings, scenes set inside apartments, whatever it might be. That's how you film a movie secretly.

But I was surprised when watching it that there are indeed shots of, you know, this family that the movie is about eating dinner together. Outside of a restaurant, you know, there's shots of people driving around Tehran. How do you do that secretly? Obviously, you have cameras when you're filming outside.

But I was surprised when watching it that there are indeed shots of, you know, this family that the movie is about eating dinner together. Outside of a restaurant, you know, there's shots of people driving around Tehran. How do you do that secretly? Obviously, you have cameras when you're filming outside.

But I was surprised when watching it that there are indeed shots of, you know, this family that the movie is about eating dinner together. Outside of a restaurant, you know, there's shots of people driving around Tehran. How do you do that secretly? Obviously, you have cameras when you're filming outside.

This movie, The Seat of the Sacred Fig, it follows a family being torn apart. A father who's part of the sort of establishment in Tehran and his supportive wife. And then their two daughters who are unhappy with the system and eager to join young women protesting in the streets. And it's very much set during the Masa Amini protests from a few years ago.

This movie, The Seat of the Sacred Fig, it follows a family being torn apart. A father who's part of the sort of establishment in Tehran and his supportive wife. And then their two daughters who are unhappy with the system and eager to join young women protesting in the streets. And it's very much set during the Masa Amini protests from a few years ago.

This movie, The Seat of the Sacred Fig, it follows a family being torn apart. A father who's part of the sort of establishment in Tehran and his supportive wife. And then their two daughters who are unhappy with the system and eager to join young women protesting in the streets. And it's very much set during the Masa Amini protests from a few years ago.

Why did you want to set a movie during those protests? And how did you come up with the idea for this family where all of the tensions we were seeing in the streets in Tehran were sort of manifested in this family unit?

Why did you want to set a movie during those protests? And how did you come up with the idea for this family where all of the tensions we were seeing in the streets in Tehran were sort of manifested in this family unit?

Why did you want to set a movie during those protests? And how did you come up with the idea for this family where all of the tensions we were seeing in the streets in Tehran were sort of manifested in this family unit?

And that's why you not only filmed this movie secretly, but you were also directing it remotely. You weren't allowed to make a movie in Iran, so you were never on the set of your own movie. How does that even work?

And that's why you not only filmed this movie secretly, but you were also directing it remotely. You weren't allowed to make a movie in Iran, so you were never on the set of your own movie. How does that even work?

And that's why you not only filmed this movie secretly, but you were also directing it remotely. You weren't allowed to make a movie in Iran, so you were never on the set of your own movie. How does that even work?

And now you very well may win an Oscar for this film that you shot in secret remotely in Iran. But of course, the country that wins this Oscar, if it indeed wins, is Germany. Why is it Germany? Yes, of course.

And now you very well may win an Oscar for this film that you shot in secret remotely in Iran. But of course, the country that wins this Oscar, if it indeed wins, is Germany. Why is it Germany? Yes, of course.

And now you very well may win an Oscar for this film that you shot in secret remotely in Iran. But of course, the country that wins this Oscar, if it indeed wins, is Germany. Why is it Germany? Yes, of course.

Mohamed, thank you so much for joining us. I'm not in the Academy, but I hope you win an Oscar on Sunday. Thank you. Thanks. Muhammad Rasul, if you can call him Muhammad, his translator was Shada Dayani. The movie's The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and it's nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film. But some say Best International Film is the messiest category at the Oscars.