The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body behind the Oscars, has released a statement concerning Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian filmmaker who may be barred from attending from this year’s event thanks to new US immigration restrictions.
As has been widely-reported, Donald Trump‘s executive order barring travellers from Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for the next 90 days means that Farhadi may be prevented from attending the Oscars, where his film The Salesman is nominated.
Earlier today, the Academy released a statement denouncing the travel ban, saying:
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.
Celebrity news source People contacted the White House for clarification – there’s a weird phase to try and parse – and were told that Farhadi may qualify for a waiver to allow him to enter the US.
The fact that this situation arose on day one of the new immigration rules means that perhaps the executive order banning travel was rushed and not overly well thought-out, but maybe that goes without saying.
Iraqi filmmaker Hussein Hassan was set to premiere his documentary A Dark Wind, about the battle between Kurdish people and ISIS, at the Miami Film Festival, but has withdrawn thank to the changes in immigration law.
The film’s producer Mehmet Aktas gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, expressing deep frustration that a friend an ally of the United States now finds himself barred from entering:
Hussein Hassan risked everything to present the true face of the war. Hassan is not a fighter at the front line. He fights with his artistic soul against terrorism and crimes. The U.S. are the closest and most important allies for Kurdistan. Now it seems to be impossible for a Kurdish artist to visit the U.S. to present his work … We as Kurdish filmmakers hope that Donald Trump will acknowledge the Kurdish people.
Source: The AV Club.
Photo: Greg Doherty / Getty.
