Did boycott win Farhadi an Oscar — and Islamic Republic’s embrace?
Iranian authorities have clearly welcomed director Asghar Farhadi’s latest Oscar, unlike last time — but what is next for this Academy Award winner?
The 89th Academy Awards saw Iranian director Asghar Farhadi win his second Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. His controversial absence at the Feb. 26 awards ceremony, in protest of US President Donald Trump’s travel ban, paved the way for a domestic celebration organized by the Iranian House of Cinema.
Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had prevented such an event from being held after Farhadi won his first Oscar for “A Separation” in 2012. However, this time Iran’s artistic community was able to come together to celebrate Farhadi’s win and honor his film and message in a ceremony held at the Film Museum in Tehran on March 3.
Mohammad Ali Movahed, a 93-year-old veteran scholar of mysticism and history and one of the guests at the ceremony, addressed Farhadi, saying, “I have come here to see you in person and tell you how much I appreciate your dignity and distinctive intelligence in reacting to such an unexpected situation [Trump’s travel ban] with such decent and thoughtful understanding. Your concise and brilliant message surprised the world.”
But what was the significance of Farhadi’s message to the Oscars in opposition to Trump’s travel ban? Was it “concise and brilliant” and really able to “surprise” the world? Did Farhadi’s protest, his message and the representatives he chose to collect the award on his behalf leave a lasting impact in the history of the Oscars?
