Iran picks 'The Salesman' for Oscar foreign film entry

Iran on Saturday chose Oscar-winning Asghar Farhadi's "The Salesman" as its entry for Best Foreign Language film at this year's Academy Awards.

"After long deliberations on the five shortlisted films, a strong majority of the board picked The Salesman... to compete on behalf of our country," the spokesman for the Iranian film selection committee Amir Esfandiari announced.

"The Salesman", which premiered in Iran on August 31, bagged a rare two awards in the Cannes film festival earlier this year.

Leading protagonist Shahab Hosseini clinched best actor and Farhadi himself scooped the best screenplay prize.

"The Salesman" is a taut moral drama about a married couple thrown into turmoil after the wife is attacked in their home.

It has grossed 55 billion rials ($1.5 million) in 41 cinemas across Iran since opening.

Farhadi, whose 2011 "A Separation" won the Oscar for best foreign film -- Iran's first ever -- was also the first Iranian filmmaker to receive a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award.