I was wondering when this would happen.
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is —finally— taking on the Iranian government’s gross human rights abuses. This all means that Farhadi could soon either be persona non grata in Iran or, if he doesn’t escape on-time, will face a prison sentence. We’ve seen it happen in the past with such filmmakers as the late Abbas Kiarostami, Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi.
The gist of Farhadi’s political stance against his own government has to do with Iranian authorities celebrating his latest film, “A Hero,” as one of their own. Farhadi went on Instagram, posting an open letter on Tuesday. The filmmaker was responding to a person who stated he was “pro-government” and “anti-government” at the same time. Farhadi is rejecting the notion he is “pro-government,” and listed out various reasons why:
“How can you associate me with a government whose extremist media has spared no effort to destroy, marginalize, and stigmatize me in past years?” Farhadi writes (via Vulture translation). “A government to which I have made my views clear on the suffering it has caused over the years — from the events of January 2017 and November 2019, to the bitter and unforgivable tragedy that caused the murder of the Ukrainian plane passengers, from the cruel discrimination against women and girls to the way the country has allowed coronavirus to slaughter its people.”
“For many years, you have accused my movies of being ‘fake,’ and now it is amazing to watch you do the opposite,” Farhadi writes about the government. “If I have so far remained silent on the persecutions you have inflicted on me, it is only because I have wanted to concentrate on my work, which I truly believe in. It was never meant to be taken as a sign that I agreed with you.”
Farhadi continued, “If your introduction of my film for the Oscars has led you to the conclusion that I am in your debt, I am explicitly declaring now that I have no problem with you reversing this decision. I no longer care about the fate of the film that I made with all my heart. Whether in or outside Iran, this movie will live on its merits.”
Farhadi’s “A Hero” will be released in U.S. theaters on January 7. It will be getting an Oscar-qualifying run on December 31st in a couple of L.A. theaters.