Iranian Independent Filmmakers: Academy Awards Should Reconsider Its Relationship with the Farabi Cinema Foundation

Independent filmmakers in Iran have once again urged the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States to reconsider its relationship with the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which is controlled by the Iranian government and currently oversees the submission process for Iran's representative film at the Oscars. The Independent Cinema Society of Iran, which made the same request last year, issued a statement on Sunday, October 1, following the selection of the film "In the Embrace of the Tree" as Iran's representative in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. They expressed concern that, given the pressure on Iranian artists and filmmakers under the Islamic Republic, the Farabi Cinema Foundation, known for censorship and repression, is still allowed to choose Iran's representative for the Oscars. The Independent Cinema Society of Iran, formed in 2023 in response to the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, stated: "The Academy should reconsider its collaboration with Farabi due to doubts about the validity of their selections. Independent filmmakers face severe consequences, including imprisonment and bans, due to their non-alignment with regime propaganda." This statement came just days after news of the continued political persecution of Maryam Maqdami and Behtash Sanaeiha regarding their film "My Favorite Cake" was published; a film that was screened at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year after the directors defied orders from Islamic Republic officials to withdraw the film. The passports of this artistic couple, who faced travel bans last spring, were returned to them in the summer, but were seized again in mid-September due to their attempt to fly to Sweden, where Maqdami's family lives and where she is also a citizen. "My Favorite Cake" is among a series of Iranian films that have received acclaim at international festivals this year, but the Farabi Cinema Foundation did not consider any of them as representatives of Iran for the 2025 Oscars because they were not approved by the government. Other directors who have faced scrutiny from Iranian authorities in recent years include Ali Ahmadzadeh, for screening his film "Crisis Zone" without permission at the Locarno Festival, and Saeed Roustayi, for showing his film "Brothers Leila" without authorization at the Cannes Festival. Additionally, Mohammad Rasoulof and his film "The Holy Fig Seed," which has been selected as Germany's representative for the 2025 Oscars, where the director is currently in voluntary exile to escape flogging and prison punishment. The Independent Cinema Society of Iran further stated in its announcement: "It is essential for the Academy to acknowledge the existence of censorship in Iran and support independent filmmakers... Now is the time to act to promote artistic freedom and human rights on a global scale." The society also referenced a separate request made in 2021 by Bahman Ghobadi, a Kurdish Iranian director, to the Academy to establish an award for films by exiled filmmakers, similar to how the International Olympic Committee formed a team of exiled athletes to participate in sports competitions. The Golden Leopard of Locarno was awarded to "Crisis Zone"; Zare Amir Ebrahimi's prominent presence at this year's festival; the Best Film award in the competition section at the Locarno Festival went to "Crisis Zone"; "In the Embrace of the Tree" is Iran's representative at the Oscars; Hamid Soleiman Zadeh, a film critic, stated it has no chance; independent Iranian films are a bane for the regime; the Islamic Republic's pressure to remove "The Holy Fig Seed" from Cannes; "My Favorite Cake" at three global festivals; the creators remain banned from leaving the country; the International Critics Jury Award at the Berlin Festival went to "My Favorite Cake"; "Crisis Zone" won the Best Film award in the competition section at the Locarno Festival.