Foreign and Culture Ministers Welcome Oscar Award for 'The Salesman'

The Foreign Affairs and Culture Ministers welcomed the awarding of the Oscar to the film 'The Salesman' to Asghar Farhadi, the director, and the team behind the film. According to reports, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, tweeted: "I am proud of the team behind 'The Salesman' for the Oscar award and for standing against the ban on Muslim entry to the U.S." He also noted that "Iranians have been the forefront of culture and civilization for thousands of years." According to Mehr News Agency, Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, also congratulated Asghar Farhadi on winning the Oscar in a message. In his message, the Minister stated that Farhadi was able to resonate the message of peace from Iran and Iranians beyond geographical borders with "the eloquent language and expressive art" in a "chaotic, unsafe, and dark world today." Reza Salehi Amiri pointed out that Farhadi's symbolic absence from the Oscars was "a protest against the narrow-minded and racist policies of inexperienced American politicians in enacting inhumane immigration laws, which awakened many consciences around the world and unveiled the false faces of those who preach human rights." According to the House of Representatives news agency, several members of parliament congratulated Asghar Farhadi. Behrouz Namati, the spokesman for the parliamentary board, mentioned that "using art and giving opportunities to artists is a movement to increase Iran's power in the world," stating: "Art and artists should not be confined to political boundaries. In fact, even critics of Mr. Farhadi's work should critique within the framework of national interests and recognize the value of this significant achievement." This parliament member stated that Asghar Farhadi and his film crew "created an epic" and urged officials to "be aware of the power of art as a tool for asserting Iranian rights in the world and to see artists alongside them." The film 'The Salesman' by Asghar Farhadi won the Oscar for 'Best Foreign Language Film' at the 'Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' in 2017. Anousheh Ansari, one of Farhadi's representatives at this year's ceremony, read his message. In this message, Asghar Farhadi stated that in solidarity with his people and also with countries affected by the immigration and visa policies of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, he refrained from attending the ceremony. According to Reuters, he added: "Dividing the world into two poles of 'us' and 'our enemies' is a fear-mongering and deceptive justification for aggression and war." The issue of Donald Trump's executive order was one of the headline-making events at this year's Oscars, even before it began. Mr. Farhadi had previously stated that he would not attend the Oscars in protest against Trump's executive order temporarily banning entry for citizens of Iran and six other countries. He emphasized that this action does not mean a boycott of the Oscars or American filmmakers, appointing Anousheh Ansari, an engineer and astronaut, and Firouz Naderi, a former NASA manager (two Iranian Americans), to represent him at the ceremony. Several stars present at the ceremony on Sunday night wore blue ribbons on their clothing to show support for the 'American Civil Liberties Union,' which has taken extensive actions against the President's executive order banning entry from seven countries in recent weeks. This order is currently facing temporary suspension from a federal court. The President of the United States emphasized that the entry ban was not issued with 'discriminatory' or 'against believers of Islam' objectives and that its purpose is to increase the security of the United States and its citizens. Donald Trump has called for reforms in the visa and entry system to the U.S. and stated: "We will continue our actions to keep our country safe. We will not allow individuals into our country who seek to harm our people." With this Oscar, Iranian cinema, alongside the cinemas of Hungary, Austria, Germany, Argentina, former Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland, is among the foreign countries that have won the Oscar twice. Asghar Farhadi previously brought Iranian cinema to prominence at the Oscars with the film 'A Separation' and won this award in 2012. He is now alongside some of the most renowned filmmakers in the world who have won the Oscar more than once, alongside names like Elia Kazan, Milos Forman, Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, or Federico Fellini. In Asia, Japan is the only country that has received more Oscars than Iran. However, Kurosawa, Kinugasa, and Inagaki from that country have received honorary awards. 'Spirited Away' by Hayao Miyazaki also won the 75th Oscar for animation. Japan was among the eight countries that first introduced a foreign language film to the Oscars. Currently, Italy leads foreign countries in terms of Oscar awards with 14 Oscars. France follows with 12 Oscars, and then Spain and Japan each with four Oscars. Three Oscars have also been awarded to Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the former Soviet Union.