Asghar Farhadi will not come to the Oscars – Västerbottens-kuriren (the Courier)

Telegram The iranian director Asghar Farhadi will not attempt to enter the united states to attend the Oscars, writes the New York Times.

Facts

“A man called Ove” is nominated for an Oscar in the category best foreign film. Actor Bahar Pars play a key role and may also have problems getting into the country, in that she is born in Iran. At present there is no clear directive for how inresandet to the USA work for people from abroad with dual citizenship. Some have been prevented and some have been released into the country, according to Trita Parsi.

In a statement, writes the director:

"I’m sorry that I must announce that I have decided not to attend the Oscars together with my colleagues in the film world."

Farhadi writes that it is not about a boycott, because he wanted to travel and he believes that many filmmakers in the united states is against what he calls "the fanaticism and extremism that is taking place."

Planned to go

Farhadi had earlier planned to go to Los Angeles to attend the Oscars. Now he says that he will not, even if he would get a waiver from the Trumps travel ban for people from seven mainly muslim countries, among them Farhadis home country, Iran.

"I would therefore in this statement will express what I would have said to the press if I had traveled to the united states: the Hard-line people, regardless of nationality, political arguments and wars, sees and perceives the world in the same way. In order to understand the world, they have to see it from a 'we-and-them'perspective, which they use to create a frightening picture of 'them' and instill fear in the people in their own countries," he writes.

Oscars regrets

According to the director took his decision then it has become all too much uncertainty surrounding his ability to travel to the united states.

Asghar Farhadi is nominated in the category best foreign language film for "Forushande."

The american filmakademien, which organizes the Oscars, has previously written in a statement to the TT that "it is very worrying that Asghar Farhadi (…) can be prevented from entering the country because of their religion or their homeland."

Sell well

at the same time sold an unusual number of tickets for "Forushande" whose English title is "The Salesman" in the united states, given the limited distribution, writes Indiewire. The film is shown in New York and Los Angeles and has sold better than any other film of its kind (a limited distribution, with subtitles) has done in five years.

the Oscars is on February 26.