Independent Filmmakers Association Protests Iran's Oscar Representative Selection by Government Body

Hours after one of the films produced under the laws of the Islamic Republic was introduced to the Academy Awards, the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran (IFMA) announced that the Academy must reconsider its method of selecting Iran's representative. On Sunday, October 1st, the association stated that Iranian filmmakers "are constantly facing oppression from the Islamic government," criticizing in an open letter to the Academy why the Farabi Cinema Foundation, "as a government entity," continues to introduce Iran's representative to the Academy. The letter pointed out that this foundation is "responsible for censorship and the repression of filmmakers," and IFMA proposed in its open letter to the Academy that it should seek assistance from an independent selection committee for choosing a film from Iran. The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran noted that the Academy not only deprived these films of the opportunity to represent the country's cinema but is also "censoring films in Iran" by continuing this method. Iran introduced "In the Embrace of the Tree" without international presence to the Oscars. The Farabi Cinema Foundation introduced the film "In the Embrace of the Tree" as Iran's representative for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Oscars on Saturday, September 31, despite the fact that this film has not been screened at any festival outside Iran. "In the Embrace of the Tree" is a joint production of the Islamic Propagation Organization's Art Bureau and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, both government entities, which won the Best Screenplay award at the 41st Fajr Film Festival. At that festival, held shortly after the widespread protests of 2021, many filmmakers refrained from attending this government film event and boycotted it. The producer of "In the Embrace of the Tree" is Mohammad Reza Misbah, who has collaborated with government organizations to produce films in recent years. Following the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in 2021, many prestigious film festivals around the world have rejected Iranian films made under the supervision and censorship of the Islamic Republic, while the presence of underground films at these festivals has accelerated. These films, most of which contain critical content and do not feature actresses wearing mandatory hijabs, have achieved success at European festivals. Meanwhile, this year Germany introduced the film "The Fig Seed of Temples" by Mohammad Rasoulof, a joint production of Iran and Germany secretly made in Iran and unveiled at this year's Cannes Festival, as its representative for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Oscars.