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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?
89th Academy Awards - Oscars Backstage - Hollywood, California, U.S. - 26/02/17 - Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for "The Salesman". REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTS10HRL

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.

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