HRANA News Agency – Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam, directors of the film My Favourite Cake, along with producer Gholamreza Mousavi, have been sentenced by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court to a total of five years and four months in prison and monetary fines. All prison sentences have been suspended for five years.
Sanaeeha and Moghaddam were each sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment and paying a fine for “propaganda against the regime through spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.” Their prison terms are suspended for five years.
In a separate charge, all three—Sanaeeha, Moghaddam, and Mousavi—were sentenced to one year of suspended imprisonment and ordered to forfeit related equipment for “participation in the production of obscene content.” Judge Iman Afshari also sentenced them to pay a fine each and ordered the confiscation of all remaining equipment for “screening the film without official permission.”
The court session for these three individuals, as well as three other defendants in the case—two actors and a cinematographer—was held on March 1, 2025.
Despite international recognition of My Favourite Cake, including the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, Sanaeeha and Moghaddam were unable to attend due to a travel ban imposed on them.
The film was produced without censorship and did not enforce the mandatory hijab for female actors, prompting sharp criticism from Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
My Favourite Cake, a 2024 drama, received the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival and gained significant attention after being released online.