Iran to boycott Oscars this year

Washington: Iran has decided not to send any film for the Oscars this year as a mark of protest against the recent anti-Islam film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ which has sparked violence throughout the Middle East, says an entertainment website. The country initially decided to send Reza Mirkarimi`s ‘A Cube of Sugar’ as their entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the Oscars this year but then decided to boycott the award ceremony, reports thewrap.com, a US-based entertainment website. The country, till now, has been nominated twice in the category, that started 65 years back, including last year`s winner - "A Separation". With the official deadline for foreign-language submissions Oct 1, more than 50 countries have announced their selections for this year`s Oscars. IANS