Director Asghar Farhadi Shouts Down Exclusionary Politics From Afar After The Salesman Wins Best Foreign Language Film

When Donald Trump issued his executive order banning travel to the U.S. for residents of seven Muslim-majority countries, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi announced he would be skipping the Oscars to protest the president’s exclusionary policies. When his film The Salesman won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film tonight, Anousheh Ansari (who has the distinction of being the first astronaut of Iranian descent) accepted the Oscar on his behalf, and read from a prepared statement written by the director. Farhadi expressed his apologies for not being present to accept his award, and said it was the “inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants into the U.S.” that kept him from attending.

Director Asghar Farhadi Wins Oscar, Renounces Discrimination