TEHRAN -- Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi’s acclaimed movie “The Salesman” was selected on Saturday as Iran’s submission to the 89th Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category.

A committee of nine film experts was assigned by Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation to choose the county’s submission to the Oscar race.

“The movie was selected by a majority vote,” committee spokesman Amir Esfandiari said in a press release.

The film was chosen from a shortlist of five, including “Standing in the Dust”, Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian’s biopic on Iranian national hero Ahmad Motevasselian, and Reza Mirkarimi’s drama “The Daughter” about the generational gap in contemporary Iran.

A Memento production, “The Salesman” is about Emad and Rana who move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant dramatically changes the young couple’s life.

The film brought Farhadi the award for best screenplay and the Palme d’Or for best actor for Shahab Hosseini at the 69th Cannes Film Festival this year.  

Farhdi’s “About Elly” represented Iranian cinema at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in 2010, but it did not receive a nomination.

One year later, his “A Separation”, a drama about a breakup, won Iran its first and only ever Oscar.

Photo: Asghar Farhadi (R) directs Taraneh Alidusti (L) in a scene from his latest movie “The Salesman”. A crew member is also in seen in the photo. (Photo by Habib Majidi)

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