The Film 'In the Embrace of the Tree' Selected as Iran's Representative for the Oscars; Film Critic Hamed Soleiman-zadeh: It Has No Chance

The film 'In the Embrace of the Tree' directed by Babak Khajeh Pasha has been selected as Iran's representative for the international or non-English language category at the Oscars. According to Hamed Soleiman-zadeh, a writer and film critic, it has no chance of success in this global competition. The Farabi Cinema Foundation announced this news on Saturday, September 31, stating that the selection committee, after reviewing eligible works, ultimately introduced 'In the Embrace of the Tree' for the 2025 Oscars. The selection committee members include Narges Abyar, Shabnam Moghadami, Fereydoun Jiriani, Ali Dehkaradi, Morteza Razag-Karimi, Mehdi Sajadehchi, Akbar Nabavi, Behrouz Shaeibi, and Majid Zeyn-al-Abedin. The documentary film 'Isatis' directed by Alireza Dehghan and the feature film 'The Silent City' directed by Ahmad Bahrami were the other two finalists. Hamed Soleiman-zadeh, residing in Germany, told Voice of America that after the success of Asghar Farhadi's films like 'A Separation' and 'The Salesman' at the Oscars, Iranian cinema has not been able to introduce a worthy representative with a chance of winning or at least being nominated in the Best International Feature Film category in recent years. He adds that this failure has various reasons and can be analyzed from multiple angles. One of these reasons, according to Soleiman-zadeh, is the forced migration of several prominent Iranian directors and the unwritten and written work bans on many other filmmakers due to the unreasonable conditions for film production in the country. He continues that it is evident that this affects the quality of Iranian works and tarnishes the international image of Iranian cinema. Soleiman-zadeh considers the direct interference of unrelated institutions in both small and large issues as another factor contributing to this failure. He states, 'For example, especially in recent years, middle management has not made important decisions without coordination with various cultural, advisory, and even security levels. From granting production and screening permits to participation in international festivals.' He identifies the cinema organization as another reason for this lack of success, which is managed in a 'severely' ideological, conservative, and extremist manner. He says, 'Although traditionally, the members of the Oscar film selection committee should be introduced by the House of Cinema as a semi-independent institution, none of the individuals can attend this committee without the approval of the Ministry of Culture's security. It is evident that this leads to others with tendencies aligned with the preferences of official authorities introducing Iran's representative to the Oscars.' Soleiman-zadeh points out that the chances of 'The Silent City' by Ahmad Bahrami and 'Roxana' by Parviz Shahbazi are much higher than the currently selected film, reminding that undoubtedly other factors played a decisive role in making such a decision. The summary of the story of 'In the Embrace of the Tree' states: 'The complex crisis of Kimia and Farid's life, which has lasted twelve years since their marriage, disrupts the beautiful world of their children, who know nothing but simplicity and kindness in life.' The film stars Maral Baniadam, Javad Qamati, Rouhollah Zamani, Ahura Lotfi, and Ryan Lotfi and is the result of the collaboration between the Soreh Cinema Organization and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults. Given the disordered and chaotic state of Iranian cinema, especially after the nationwide protests of 2021, the selection of the country's representative for the Oscars has faced many challenges. During the nationwide protests in Iran, many Iranian filmmakers condemned the violent crackdown by government forces while supporting the protesters. Meanwhile, several actors and filmmakers were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by the Islamic Republic's security forces and were pressured in various ways. Some of them were tried in Islamic Revolutionary Courts and received sentences against them. Global cinema festivals, in protest against this repressive approach, have unprecedentedly prevented the participation of state or so-called 'government' films in festivals like Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. Last year, the film 'Night Watch' by Reza Mirkarimi was selected to participate in the Oscars but was eliminated in the preliminary stage and had no success. Asghar Farhadi, an Iranian filmmaker, has won the Best International Film award twice with his films 'A Separation' and 'The Salesman.' Marjan Satrapi told Voice of America: 'The Islamic Republic, like all dictatorships in history, will fall.' The historical incident film 'William Tell' starring Golshifteh Farahani was screened at the Toronto Festival. The film 'Sisters' was screened at the Toronto Film Festival; a documentary about women's singing dreams in Iran. Reactions to the award given to the film 'Witness' in Venice; Somayeh Haqnegahdar: A great success for independent Iranian cinema. The film 'Seven Days' starring Vishka Asayesh was screened in Toronto; Mohammad Farakhmanesh, the producer: The film's message is respect for human rights and freedom. The documentary 'A Gem in the Desert' was screened; Mary Apick: I dedicated the first screening of the film to Tomaj Salehi and Shervin Hajipour. Germany sent the film 'Fig Seed of Temples' by Rasoulof as its representative to the Oscars. The first film festival 'Women, Life, Freedom'; Shabnam Farshadjou: It is for artists who have no right to breathe in Iran. The artistic director of the 'Golden Apricot' film festival in Armenia: Jafar Panahi is one of the greatest imprisoned artists of our time. The names of the winners of the Kiarostami Short Film Festival were announced; Hamed Soleiman-zadeh: The goal is to support independent cinema. The Israeli director of 'Tatami' told Voice of America: We are narrators of women's struggle for freedom from the injustices of the Islamic Republic.