Iran director in exile says 'bittersweet' to represent Germany at Oscars

Forced to flee Iran, dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof says it is bittersweet that his latest movie will contend at the Oscars under the banner of another country.

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The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, a paranoid thriller that was shot in secret and depicts a family torn apart by Iran's brutally repressive politics, has earned rave reviews and won many festival prizes, including at Cannes.

But each country can submit just one movie for the best international film Oscar, and in authoritarian countries like Iran, that choice of film is made by state-controlled organisations. The next edition of the Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, will be held in March 2025.

"It is unimaginable that the Islamic Republic could have submitted a film like this for the Academy Awards," said Rasoulof. "In fact, if it were possible for the regime to submit it, the film would not have been made in the first place."