TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Film academy troubled by possible visa ban of Oscar nominee

News Desk (Associated Press)
Los Angeles, United States
Sun, January 29, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Film academy troubled by possible visa ban of Oscar nominee In this Oct. 10, 2016 file photo, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi poses for a photo during the premiere of his film, "The Salesman, in Paris. The motion picture academy calls "extremely troubling," the possible visa ban of Iranian director Farhadi, whose feature film "The Salesman" is nominated for a best foreign language Oscar. In a statement released Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressed concern that Farhadi and his cast and crew may not be permitted to attend next month's Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles following President Trump's plan to temporarily suspend issuing visas for people from Iran and six other Muslim countries. (AP/Michel Euler)

T

he motion picture academy calls "extremely troubling," the possible visa ban of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose feature film "The Salesman" is nominated for a best foreign language Oscar.

In a statement released Saturday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressed concern that Farhadi and his cast and crew may not be permitted to attend next month's Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles following President Trump's plan to temporarily suspend issuing visas for people from Iran and six other Muslim countries.

(Read also: Trump's ban dashes hope for many asylum-seekers)

Farhadi has not commented on his travel plans, but on Friday, the president of the National Iranian American Council, Trita Parsi, tweeted: "Confirmed: Iran's Asghar Farhadi won't be let into the US to attend Oscar's."

On Thursday, Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the "The Salesman," tweeted she would boycott the Oscars — whether allowed to attend or not — in protest of Trump's immigration policies, which she called "racist."

In its statement Saturday, the academy said, "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."

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.