Iran has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film regularly since 1994. Prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Imperial State of Iran sent a single film in 1977.
As of 2026, Iran has been nominated three times, winning twice for A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016), both directed by Asghar Farhadi. It's the only country in the Middle East to have won the award.
History
Controversies On 24 September 2012, the film A Cube of Sugar was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. However, on the same day the head of Iran's government controlled cinema agency called for a boycott of the Oscars due to the Innocence of Muslims video on YouTube that originated in the United States. Reuters reported that Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hosseini had confirmed that Iran would boycott.
Persecution of filmmakers Since its Revolution, Iran has only submitted films considered adequate with the regime's Islamic law, banning several productions, arresting filmmakers and actors, and thus making impossible for them to participate in the category selection process. Despite being persecuted, many filmmakers have been shooting illegally in Iran in partnership with international production companies and international crew members (producers, editors, cinematographers), allowing other countries to selected their films as its official entry.
In 2024, Germany submitted for the first time a film not in the German language, the Iranian co-produced The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof, which follows the anti-regime 2022–2023 protests in Iran. Rasoulof was incarcerated several times for filming numerous political films without a permit, until 2024 when he successfully escaped to Germany alongside other cast and crew members. The film was ultimately nominated in the category.
In 2025, France (known for the protection of its local cinema industry) submitted It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, an Iranian co-production shot in Persian. The film follows the political repression in Iran and the social paranoia created by it. Panahi, also persecuted and incarcerated several times, made the film without an official filming permission. Although the filmmaker was allowed for the first time in more than twenty years to leave Iran, attending the film world premiere at 2025 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Palme d'Or, the production didn't receive a governmental approval to be screened in Iranian cinemas. The film was ultimately nominated in the category and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
In at least twelve occasions films made by Iranian directors represented other countries: I Love Vienna (Austria), Persepolis (France), For a Moment, Freedom (Austria), Baba Joon (Israel), Utopia (Afghanistan), Under the Shadow (United Kingdom), Parting (Afghanistan), Yeva (Armenia), Border (Sweden), Holy Spider (Denmark) and Winners (United Kingdom); but were not nominated.
Submissions The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1956. The International Feature Film Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.
The Iranian nominee is selected each fall by a committee appointed by the Farabi Cinematic Foundation. Despite poor relations with the United States, Iran has participated in the US-based competition since 1994, missing only one year. They attempted to withdraw their 1995 submission The White Balloon after sending it to Hollywood, but AMPAS refused to accept the withdrawal.
The most submitted filmmaker is Majid Majidi, with six entries and one nomination for Children of Heaven (1998), followed by Asghar Farhadi, with five entries and two wins for A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016).
Sun Children (2020) and A Hero (2021) advanced to the December shortlists, but were not nominated.
Most of the films selected were primarily in Persian, with the exception of Ghobadi's two Kurdish language films and Farhadi's The Past which is mostly in French. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Iran for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original Title Director(s) Result 1977(50th) The Cycle دايره مينا 1994(67th) Through the Olive Treesزیر درختان زیتون 1995(68th) The White Balloonبادکنک سفید 1997(70th) Gabbehگبه 1998(71st) Children of Heavenبچه‌های آسمان 1999(72nd) The Color of Paradiseرنگ خدا 2000(73rd) A Time for Drunken Horsesزمانی برای مستی اسب‌ها 2001(74th) Baranباران 2002(75th) I'm Taraneh, 15من ترانه، ۱۵ سال دارم 2003(76th) Deep Breath نفس عمیق 2004(77th) Turtles Can Flyلاک‌پشت‌ها هم پرواز می‌کنند 2005(78th) So Close, So Farخیلی دور، خیلی نزدیک 2006(79th) Café Transit کافه ترانزیت 2007(80th) M for Motherمیم مثل مادر 2008(81st) The Song of Sparrowsآواز گنجشک‌ها 2009(82nd) About Elly......درباره الی 2010(83rd) Farewell Baghdadبدرود بغداد 2011(84th) A Separationجدایی نادر از سیمین 2013(86th) The Pastگذشته 2014(87th) Today امروز 2015(88th) Muhammad: The Messenger of Godمحمد رسول‌الله 2016(89th) The Salesmanفروشنده 2017(90th) Breathنفس 2018(91st) No Date, No Signature بدون تاریخ، بدون امضاء 2019(92nd) Finding Faridehدر جستجوی فریده Kourosh Ataee, Azadeh Moussavi 2020(93rd) Sun Childrenخورشید Majid Majidi 2021(94th) A Heroقهرمان Asghar Farhadi 2022(95th) World War IIIجنگ جهانی سوم Houman Seyyedi 2023(96th) The Night Guardianنگهبان شب Reza Mirkarimi 2024(97th) In the Arms of the Treeدر آغوش درخت Babak Lotfi Khajepasha 2025(98th) Cause of Death: Unknownعلت مرگ: نامعلوم Ali Zarnegar 2026(99th) Land of Angels سرزمین فرشته ها Babak Khajehpasha
Shortlisted films In 2025, the Iranian selection committee created for the first time a shortlist of eligible films, from which a finalist would be chosen. The movement came after numerous controversies regarding the country unclear submission process, raised online by industry members and local filmmakers.
Even though the new formal process was established, the Iranian submission committee continued to snub political films released without permission in international film festivals during 2025, such as: It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi, Cutting Through Rocks by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, Between Dreams and Hope by Farnoosh Samadi, Divine Comedy by Ali Asgari, Inside Amir by Amir Azizi and Past Future Continuous by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani.
Saeed Roustayi, once arrested for premiering Leila's Brothers (2022) at Cannes without permission, had his new film Woman and Child (which also premiered at Cannes) shortlisted, but was ultimately snubbed.
YearFilms2025Call Me Ziba · The Old Bachelor · Raha · Woman and Child
See also List of Iranian Academy Award winners and nominees List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films Cinema of Iran
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page IMDb list of submitted films