This Oscar-Nominated Director Won’t Be Able to Attend the Awards Due to Trump’s Travel Ban
Many in the tech field are already speaking out about how President Trump’s executive order restricting travel to the US from several middle eastern countries will affect their industry. What we didn’t quite expect was to see how greatly the ban would hurt Hollywood. Apparently, it affects Tinsel Town quite a bit, as was made crystal clear with their speeches during tonight’s SAG Awards. In fact, one of this year’s Academy Awards nominees for best Foreign Language film (and 2012 winner) is being effectively banned from entering the US for the next 90 days due to the fact that he is from, and lives in, Iran — one of the seven countries being named in the EO.
Persian director Ashgar Farhadi has not only won the Academy Award in the past, but he is also a celebrated Cannes Film Festival winner of the Palme d’Or, the award for best film at France’s annual fest. He’s been awarded arts medals from France, as well as many others for both his writing and directing across the globe. This year, his film The Salesman is nominated for best foreign language feature, but because of the 90-day restriction, he won’t be attending the ceremony in Los Angeles.
Tribeca stands with our friend Asghar Farhadi, who has decided not to attend next month's Oscars, via @NYTimes. https://t.co/3msw3eQIzN pic.twitter.com/f0qDcZTXn4
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) January 29, 2017
The Tribeca Film Festival tweeted that Farhadi has publicly said that even if the ban was lifted, he will refuse to attend in a show of solidarity against the ban and how it affects less fortunate people than him throughout the world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also released a statement early Sunday, condemning the ban and stating they, too, stand in solidarity with those affected.
While we’re sure the Oscars will happen regardless of politics this year, given the political turn tonight’s awards took (did you see Simon Helberg’s outfit?) it will be interesting to see how the show plays out.
Will you be watching the Oscars this year? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Cosmopolitan, photo via Steve Granitz/Getty)