The Iranian film "My Favourite Cake" is a seemingly harmless tale of two elderly people finding intimacy and affection after the loss of their respective partners. But this month, directors Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam, along with lead actress Lily Farhadpour and three other cast and crew members, are on trial in Tehran for the crimes of "offending public decency and morality," "propagating debauchery" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

The film won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Competition and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlinale in February 2024, however the filmmakers were banned from traveling to the event and had their passports confiscated.

Apart from suggestions of sex in the film, it is assumed that Farhadpour's failure to wear a hijab during some scenes has landed the filmmakers in the Revolutionary Court.

Much has been written about the arbitrary crackdown on freedom of speech and artistic expression in the wake of the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests sparked by the police killing of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for "improperly" wearing a hijab, or headscarf.

When internationally renowned rapper Toomaj Salehi released songs in support of the Amini solidarity protests, he was found guilty of "spreading propaganda against the regime," among other crimes.

In April 2023, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced the musician to death. The penalty was overturned in June 2024 and Toomaj was released from prison in December. However, he was on trial again in February, facing new charges over a song,........

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