After winning his second best foreign language film award for The Salesman, Asghar Farhadi’s statue was accepted in absentia—due to his publicized boycott of the Oscars in the name of President Trump’s travel ban.
But not before a politically charged statement from the lauded Iranian director was read by Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space and first self-funded woman to fly to the International Space Station. Firouz Naderi, a former NASA director, also represented Farhadi onstage.
Perhaps the biggest round of applause yet #oscars pic.twitter.com/LXRJ2hBewj
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) February 27, 2017
“I am sorry I am not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country…” – Asghar Farhadi #Oscars
— Collider (@Collider) February 27, 2017
“I am sorry I am not with you. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country,” it read.
