The Night Watchman at the Oscars; Reza Mirkarimi Represents Iran for the Fourth Time

The committee selecting Iran's representative for the 2024 Academy Awards announced that the film "The Night Watchman" directed by Reza Mirkarimi has been chosen to participate in the international or non-English language category. This marks the fourth time a film by this director has been selected as Iran's representative for this global competition. In the past, the selection committee had sent Mirkarimi's films "Very Far, Very Close," "A Cube of Sugar," and "Today" to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, none of which achieved success. Notably, in 2012, following the selection of "A Cube of Sugar," Iran withdrew Mirkarimi's film from the Oscars due to sanctions. Given the chaotic and disordered state of Iranian cinema in recent months, the selection of a representative faced numerous challenges, and it was expected that the committee would ultimately choose "The Night Watchman." The killing of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police sparked widespread protests in Iran. Many Iranian filmmakers, in support of the protesters, condemned the violent crackdown by government forces. During these protests, several actors and filmmakers were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by the Islamic Republic's security forces, facing various forms of pressure. Some were tried in Islamic Revolutionary Courts and received sentences. Global film festivals, in protest against this repressive approach, unprecedentedly barred state or so-called "government" films from participating in festivals like Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. According to Reza Mirkarimi, "The Night Watchman" has been deprived of international festival participation for this reason, which plays a significant role in the lack of success of films competing for the Oscars. Kaveh Farnam, a member of the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, told the Persian section of Voice of America about the government's treatment of popular filmmakers: "The pressure, violence, and security atmosphere that envelops the entire society undoubtedly affects the cinematic community and its prominent artists, with summons for interrogation, pressure, and threats for forced false confessions." He added, "The threat primarily reflects the fear and terror of the regime, fear of the people and society, and fear of the influence and impact of filmmakers on the public, but the work continues." Given the current situation and the lack of global interest in Iran's state cinema, it seems unlikely that "The Night Watchman" will even have a chance to reach the preliminary stage of the Oscar selections. "Private Meeting" directed by Omid Shams and "Shahrak" by Ali Hazrati were other final nominees for Iran's Oscar representative. Meanwhile, several other films that could have been better options, such as "Tasavvor" by Ali Bahrami, faced neglect from the selection committee. This work, featuring Leila Hatami, was screened in the Critics' Week section of the Cannes Festival and, given that it has a foreign distributor, had better conditions compared to "The Night Watchman." Last year, the film "World War III" directed by Hooman Sidi, which was screened in the Horizons section of the Venice Festival, was selected for the Best International Film category at the Oscars but did not achieve success. Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has won the Best International Film award twice with his films "A Separation" and "The Salesman." Among Iranian filmmakers, works by Majid Majidi have been selected six times, Asghar Farhadi five times, and Reza Mirkarimi four times as Iran's representatives at the Oscars. The Ministry of Culture's efforts to restrict protesting artists; "Lawbreakers" should return their salaries. Roya Nonahali appeared without mandatory hijab at the Artists' House. Ali Asgari, director of "The Earthly Verses," has been banned from leaving the country and from cinematic activities. A parliament representative stated that actors should commit to a two-year hijab for each film; indifference from protesting actors. Homayoun Ghanizadeh criticized the prison sentence of Saeed Roustaee: it reflects the desperation of the regime. The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran stated that supporting unknown young filmmakers in Iran is essential. The prison sentence of Saeed Roustaee; reactions from Cannes festival directors and Martin Scorsese's efforts to annul the sentence. The Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran: Filmmakers are fighting against the repression of the Islamic Republic.