The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences called the possibility that Oscar-nominated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi could be prohibited from attending the Feb. 26 Oscars due to President Donald Trump’s visa ban “extremely troubling.” Farhadi’s The Salesman (see trailer below) is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
AMPAS’s full statement reads: “The Academy celebrates achievement in the art of filmmaking, which seeks to transcend borders and speak to audiences around the world, regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences. As supporters of filmmakers—and the human rights of all people—around the globe, we find it extremely troubling that Asghar Farhadi, the director of the Oscar-winning film from Iran A Separation, along with the cast and crew of this year’s Oscar-nominated film The Salesman, could be barred from entering the country because of their religion or country of origin.”
The Academy is now among the many Hollywood voices speaking out against the executive order, which would temporarily halt entry to the U.S. from seven largely Muslim countries, including Iran.
To read more Hollywood reaction, go here.
And here’s a trailer for Farhadi’s The Salesman.
