The head of Iran’s government-controlled cinema agency says his country should “avoid” the 2013 Academy Awards unless the organizers denounce a low-budget film that was privately made in the United States that ridicules the Prophet Muhammad.

Javad Shamaghdari urged the committee that selects Iran’s nominee to refrain from doing so.

 The committee has already chosen “Yek Habbeh Ghand” (“A Cube Of Sugar”) for the competition, but the selection has not been finalized by the government.

The anti-Islam film “Innocence Of Muslims” has sparked nearly two weeks of sometimes-violent protests across the Islamic world.

Last year, the Iranian nominee, “The Separation,” won the Academy Award for best foreign film.

Based on reporting by dpa and AP
By RFE/RL