Film director Mohammed Rasoulof made a "gruelling and extremely dangerous" trek across a mountainous border area to avoid detention in Iran on national security charges, he tells the Guardian.
Rasullof said he fled Iran after a court sentenced him to eight years in prison, five of which had to be served, over his new film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
The leading Iranian filmmaker, who is often targeted by the country's authorities, said he had found shelter in Germany and hoped he would be able to attend the film's Cannes premiere.
The film tells the story of a judge's struggle amid political unrest in Tehran.
Rasuloff told the British newspaper that he "had no choice" but to leave, although he expects to return home "very soon".
"My mission is to be able to convey the stories of what is happening in Iran and the situation we are in as Iranians," Rasullof said.
"That's something I can't do in prison.
"I mean, I'll be back very soon, but I think that's the case with all Iranians who have left the country," he added.
Rasoulof has already served two sentences in Iranian prisons for previous films and had his passport revoked in 2017.
After deciding to leave, Rasoulof says he cut off all communication via mobile phones and computers and headed on foot along a secret route to a border crossing.
"It was a several-hour, exhausting and extremely dangerous hike that I had to do with a guide," he says.
After staying in an asylum, he contacted the German authorities, who provided him with documents that allowed him to travel to Europe. /BGNES
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