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Iran to review Oscar submission choices
The panel is tasked with choosing Iran’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards, IRNA reported.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set Oct. 1, 2024, as the deadline for submissions. Eligible films must have been screened for at least seven days in Iran between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024. The move restores majority control of the committee to the House of Cinema, which had long pushed for a stronger voice for filmmakers and industry professionals in the process.
Speculation has already begun over the films most likely to be considered. Among the frontrunners are ‘The Old Bachelor’ by Oktay Baraheni, ‘Woman and Child’ by Saeed Roustayi, ‘Guardian of the Field’ by Seyed Mohammadreza Kheradmandan, ‘In the Form of Love’ by Siavash As’adi, and ‘Cause of Death: Unknown’ by Ali Zarnegar. All five have met the eligibility criteria and drawn critical attention at home and abroad.
‘In the Form of Love’ has screened in competition at six international festivals, winning As’adi a special jury award at the 24th Ojai Film Festival in California and earning newcomer Saina Rouhani a best actress prize at Italy’s 21st Salento International Film Festival. Zarnegar’s ‘Cause of Death: Unknown’ has collected awards in New York, Zurich, Shanghai and Hof, including the audience award at the Iranian Film Festival New York.
Baraheni’s ‘The Old Bachelor’ has also been a festival regular, with stops in Rotterdam, Transylvania and Galway. It took best foreign film at Galway, best film at London Breeze in the UK and best actor honors in Transylvania. Critics have praised its “technical polish” and strong performances.
While narrative features often dominate Oscar submissions, Iranian critics note that several documentaries also had notable festival runs and box office exposure this year, raising the prospect of wider debate inside the selection committee.
The House of Cinema last held control of the Oscar process in the mid-2010s. Since then, the Farabi Cinema Foundation, a state-backed body, oversaw nominations. Industry insiders say the return to a guild-led structure signals a push for greater transparency and more artist-driven choices.