ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Not wanting to travel to the United States to receive the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film under the conditions imposed by US President Donald Trump’s executive order effectively banning new visa issuance to most Iranians and people from six other countries, the first Iranian to travel to outer space accepted the award in Los Angeles on behalf of film director Asghar Farhadi for “The Salesman.”
The Salesman premiered at Cannes last May, where it won best actor for Shahab Hosseini and best screenplay for Farhadi. Farhadi also won the same Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation.”
Owen Glieberman, Variety magazine's chief film critic, described Farhadi's works at Cannes:
"Farhadi makes dramas of domestic discord that refuse to heighten anything they show you; they are steadfastly observant, unvarnished, specific and real."
Joe Morgenstern, writing for the Wall Street Journal, said of The Salesman:
"Tightly focused, rather than broad-gauge brilliant, and another instance of this superb filmmaker turning elusive motivations and the mysteries of personality into gripping drama."
The Trump ban in late January cancelled immigrant and nonimmigrant visas of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who could not enter the US for 90 days. However, a federal appeals court ruling coupled with the order of the federal judge in early February means citizens of these countries who already had been issued valid visas can continue to enter the US. Trump has promised to issue a revised order soon, saying it's necessary to keep America safe.
Others have been affected by the visa ban imposed by Trump, including Iraqi film director Hussein Hassan, who withdrew his visa application in January to attend the US premiere of his film at the Miami Film Festival entitled “Reseba — The Dark Wind”, Variety magazine reported.
"I'm sorry I'm not with you tonight," said Anousheh Ansari, reading Farhadi’s statement that was being broadcast to millions of people around the world. "My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US."
Ansari, who became the first Muslim woman and Iranian to enter outer space when she self-funded her voyage in 2006, responded to congratulatory tweets:
Thanks to our talented #asgharfarhadi https://t.co/1pxwFn0gPq
— Anousheh Ansari (@AnoushehAnsari) February 27, 2017
Many Iranians learned of the Oscar win from social media.
"I am proud of this," said Mahbod Shirvani, a 19-year-old music student said outside the campus of Tehran University. "It shattered the U.S president's stance on Muslim nations. It showed that American people and artists are against Trump's policies."
Davood Kazemi, 21, who studies painting, said the "award showed Trump cannot stop international figures and he cannot thwart artists' solidarity that has formed, regardless of race, nationality and religion."
Iranian news websites published cartoonist Bozorgmehr Hosseinpour's sketch depicting Farhadi playing chess and using a small Oscar statue to knock out an unseen's opponent's last chess piece, a figure resembling Trump.
"I am proud of this," said Mahbod Shirvani, a 19-year-old music student said outside the campus of Tehran University. "It shattered the U.S president's stance on Muslim nations. It showed that American people and artists are against Trump's policies."
Davood Kazemi, 21, who studies painting, said the "award showed Trump cannot stop international figures and he cannot thwart artists' solidarity that has formed, regardless of race, nationality and religion."
Iranian news websites published cartoonist Bozorgmehr Hosseinpour's sketch depicting Farhadi playing chess and using a small Oscar statue to knock out an unseen's opponent's last chess piece, a figure resembling Trump.
Farhadi’s film in Farsi follows the story of a couple in Tehran, who are forced to move apartments following an earthquake, as they perform the acclaimed 1949 play “The Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, which had won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play, and also had run on Broadway.
The Salesman premiered at Cannes last May, where it won best actor for Shahab Hosseini and best screenplay for Farhadi. Farhadi also won the same Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation.”
Owen Glieberman, Variety magazine's chief film critic, described Farhadi's works at Cannes:
"Farhadi makes dramas of domestic discord that refuse to heighten anything they show you; they are steadfastly observant, unvarnished, specific and real."
Joe Morgenstern, writing for the Wall Street Journal, said of The Salesman:
"Tightly focused, rather than broad-gauge brilliant, and another instance of this superb filmmaker turning elusive motivations and the mysteries of personality into gripping drama."
The Trump ban in late January cancelled immigrant and nonimmigrant visas of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who could not enter the US for 90 days. However, a federal appeals court ruling coupled with the order of the federal judge in early February means citizens of these countries who already had been issued valid visas can continue to enter the US. Trump has promised to issue a revised order soon, saying it's necessary to keep America safe.
Farhadi has said that the conditions that would be attached to a potential visa entry were unacceptable, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Others have been affected by the visa ban imposed by Trump, including Iraqi film director Hussein Hassan, who withdrew his visa application in January to attend the US premiere of his film at the Miami Film Festival entitled “Reseba — The Dark Wind”, Variety magazine reported.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment