TEHRAN-Babak Khajeh Pasha’s directorial debut feature film “In the Arms of the Tree” has been officially chosen to represent Iran at the 2025 Academy Awards.

The decision was made after a 10-day review process by the selection committee at the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which evaluated all the eligible movies screened locally since last October, Honaronline reported.

According to the announcement by the foundation, which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the nine-member committee unanimously chose “In the Arms of the Tree,” from among the three final contenders. 

The other finalists included the feature film “The Silent City” directed by Ahmad Bahrami and the documentary “Isatis” by Alireza Dehghan.

The nine-member panel comprised of figures in Iranian cinema including filmmakers Narges Abyar, Fereydoun Jeyrani, and Behrouz Shoeibi, actors Shabnam Moghadami and Ali Dehkordi, film producer Morteza Razzagh Karimi, scriptwriter Mehdi Sajadechi, researcher and film critic Akbar Nabavi, and managing director of Farabi Cinema Foundation Majid Zeinolabedin.

Also written by Khajeh Pasha, “In the Arms of the Tree” tells the story of Kimia and Farid, a couple married for twelve years, whose life crisis shatters their children’s world, children who know nothing but simplicity and kindness in life.

The film explores themes of familial relationships and emotional reconnections between parents and children. At the heart of the story is Kimia, a northern mother grappling with the trauma of past abuse and a debilitating fear of distance. Her husband, Farid, an Azeri father with a passion for travel and medicinal plants, adds to the tension as the couple prepares for a separation exercise.

As Kimia and Farid's relationship deteriorates, their two sons, 11-year-old Taha and his five-year-old brother Alisan, become unlikely heroes in this emotional turmoil. Taha, deeply caring and protective, is determined to shield Alisan from the fallout of their parents' crises. The boys' strong bond and friendship serve as a beacon of hope amid the tumult, highlighting the innocence of childhood and the power of familial love in the face of adversity.

The film captures the impact of marital discord on children, illustrating how their lives can be disturbed by their parents' struggles. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of love, connection, and the delicate balance needed to preserve a family in crisis.

Maral Baniadam, Javad Ghamati, Rouhollah Zamani, Ahoura Lotfi, and Rayan Lotfi are in the cast among others.

A production of 2023, the film won two Crystal Simorgh awards for Best First Film and Best Screenplay upon its premiere at the 41st Fajr Film Festival.

Moreover, it was named the best film in the international section of the first edition of Iran’s Havva International Film Festival in 2023.

The movie has been screened in several international festivals in countries such as China, Switzerland, and the UAE. Earlier this month, “In the Arms of the Tree” opened the Kazan International Film Festival Altyn Minbar in Russia.

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway. The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2, 2024.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to be announced on December 17, 2024, with the final five nominees announced on January 17, 2025.

With only one week till the deadline, 58 countries have submitted their candidates to the 2025 Academy Awards in the international feature film category.

The 2024 awards saw 88 submissions. The record of nominations was set for the 92nd Oscars in 2020 when 93 countries submitted their entries.

The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Iran has submitted films for this category regularly since 1994, except for 2012. Prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country sent a single film in 1977.

Iran has submitted a total of 26 films for Oscar consideration and three films have received an Oscar nomination including Majid Majidi's “Children of Heaven” in 1998 and Asghar Farhadi's “A Separation” and “The Salesman” in 2011 and 2016 respectively. Of the three films, both of Farhadi’s movies won the award.

With his two awards, Farhadi is among the multiple best foreign language film Oscar winning directors. In the history of the Academy Awards, only six directors have won this award more than once.

At the top of the list, there are Italian directors Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica, who have won the award four times each. Swedish director Ingmar Bergman is next with three awards. They are followed by Farhadi, the French director René Clément and Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, who have won two Oscars each.

SS/SAB