The Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) has welcomed changes to submission rules for the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards which were announced on Friday, but says the process needs to be opened up further. In a game-changing shake-up of the eligibility rules for the non-English language category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has expanded the options for submission. In addition to being submitted by a country or region via an Academy-approved selection committee, a non-English language film will now become eligible for consideration in the category by winning the top prize at qualifying festivals Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto or Venice. Watch on Deadline The change comes amid years of lobbying from dissident filmmakers and cinema groups who found themselves shut out of the Best International Feature Film category because they were not politically aligned with their countries’ governments and selection committees.…