Jafar Panahi tapped his Cannes Prize-winning Freshoff’s decision to “it was just an accident” at a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival, advocating a fundamental reform of how the academy handles the submission of international functions.
The filmmaker, who was honored by Biff’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year, argued that the current system forces directors of undemocratic states to rely on government approval of Oscar eligibility.
“There are slight issues with the academy and its international section,” said Panahhi, whose film is being shown in the Gala Presentation section in Busan. “The academy doesn’t have a specific program. When making a film, you can send them to an international festival and you don’t have the issue of getting official permission from Iran. But when it comes to the academy, you need to get permission from our government.”
His Persian thriller secured the French Oscar slot through a collaboration with Les Films Pelléas and distribution agreements with Memento.
Panahi stresses that the issue will affect several countries outside of Iran, describing it as a “closed country” where independent filmmakers face government obstacles.
“I think the academy should find a way to not connect filmmakers to the government,” Panahhi said. “All independent filmmakers must come together and find a way to avoid facing this kind of problem with their government when they want to submit their films to the academy.”
The official Iranian committee has selected Ali Zarnegar’s “Causes of Death: The Unknown” as the entry into the country’s Oscars.
