Asghar Farhadi: “I Will No Longer Make Films in Iran”

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has built a career out of making these strong and intense Iranian dramas. With "About Elly," "A Separation," "The Salesman," and “A Hero,” the Iranian-born writer-director cemented his name on the shortlist of modern world-class filmmakers.

Farhadi’s next film will be set in Los Angeles and was supposed to start production last year, but the strike occurred and I really have no idea if it’s even been shot yet. This would be Farhadi’s first American film, after having directed projects in France, Spain and his native Iran.

In a new interview with french newspaper Le Monde, Farhadi reveals he won't be making any new films in Iran, for the time being, as an act of resistance against the regime:

Living in Iran is my first choice. I hope to be able to leave my country for specific projects and always be able to return there. I consider each of my stays abroad as a parenthesis, which needs to be closed so that I can recharge my batteries in Iran. This is where I feel good, where life seems more real to me. I like walking in Isfahan and Tehran, this contact with people is fundamental to me on a personal and professional level.

I have always said that censorship is harmful. We can try to find subterfuges or modes of expression to circumvent it, but, in the long term, it dries up your creativity and closes all the channels of art. For forty years, Iranian artists have continued to produce, year after year, despite repression and censorship. But, for the past year, there has been a drying up in production, particularly cinematographic productions. For my part, I can no longer continue to work in the same conditions. I no longer want to systematically cover women's hair in my cinema. I will no longer make films in Iran until I can free myself from this obligation.

Farhadi has shot two films outside of Iran “The Past” (France) and “Everybody Knows” (Spain). Plot details are being kept under wraps about this latest film, set in L.A, it is set to be the 10th feature of Farhadi’s career. His last one was 2021’s “A Hero” which won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.