Asghar Farhadi had some powerful words for US President Donald Trump…
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has just won his second Oscar – but was not at the ceremony to accept his award.
The filmmaker, who took Best Foreign Language Film for The Salesman, decided to boycott the event in response to US President Donald Trump’s visa ban earlier this month.
Iran was one of the seven Muslim-majority nations Trump banned from travelling to the US.
Iranian-American engineer Anousheh Ansari, who was the first Iranian in space, accepted the award in Los Angeles on Farhadi’s behalf, reading out a statement from the director.
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“It’s a great honor to be receiving this valuable award for the second time,” she said.
“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations whom have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US.”
“Dividing the world into the us and our enemies categories creates fear. A deceitful justification for aggression and war.
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“These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.
“Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever.”
You can watch the full acceptance speech here:
The statement from Iranian director #AsgharFarhadi, protesting Trump’s “inhumane” immigration travel ban. #Oscarspic.twitter.com/3H57INmimW
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) February 27, 2017
