Iran's 'The Salesman' wins Oscar 2017
Tehran, Feb 27, IRNA – Well-known Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi won Oscar for the best foreign film for the second time during the 89th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Oscar 2017 was presented to Farhadi’s “The Salesman” on Monday.
Two Iranian-American elites Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist engineer, and Professor Firouz Naderi, former director of Solar Systems Exploration at NASA, represented Farhadi at the 89th Oscar Academy Awards.
In a message read by Ansari in the ceremony, Farhadi said, 'It's a great honor to be receiving this valuable award for the second time. I would like to thank the members of the academy, my crew in Iran, my producer, Amazon, and my fellow nominees.”
“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 inhuman 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. 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.”
On January 29, Farhadi announced that he would not attend the Oscars ceremony this year, even if he was granted an exception to US President Donald Trump visa ban for citizens from Iran and six other predominantly Muslim countries.
Trump's decision has widely been censured by human rights bodies, indicating that he has targeted Muslims for their beliefs.