Dissident Iranian film professionals have reiterated calls to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to reconsider its relationship with Iran ’s government-controlled Farabi cinema org which currently oversees the country’s Oscar submission process. “In a world where Iranian artists and filmmakers suffer under the oppression of the Islamic Republic government, it is alarming that Farabi, a state-controlled entity known for censorship and repression, is still permitted to select the representative of Iranian cinema for the Oscars ,” the Independent Iranian Filmmakers Association ( IIFMA ) said in a statement. The org, which made the same request last year, issued the statement in the wake of Farabi’s announcement on Sunday that it had selected In The Arms of The Tree to represent Iran in the best international feature film category at the 97th Academy Awards.
IIFMA was created in 2023 in response to the Woman Life Freedom movement which grew out of widespread popular protests across Iran in 2022, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for not wearing her veil in accordance with the country’s strict laws. “The Academy must reconsider its partnership with Farabi due to doubts about the integrity of their selections. Independent filmmakers face severe repercussions, including imprisonment and bans, for not aligning with the regime’s propaganda,” said the IIFMA.
The statement comes just days after.