Fresh off France’s decision to submit his Cannes-winning “It Was Just an Accident” for Oscar consideration, Jafar Panahi leveraged his appearance at a Busan International Film Festival press conference to advocate for fundamental reform in how the Academy handles international feature submissions.

The filmmaker, who received BIFF’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year honor, argued that the current system forces directors in non-democratic nations to depend on government approval for Oscar eligibility — a barrier that doesn’t exist for other major film festivals.

“We have a slight problem with the Academy and its international section,” said Panahi, whose film is screening in Busan’s Gala Presentations section. “The Academy does not have a specific program for us. When making films, we can se

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