Ramsey Kincannon
It can be easy to rip on the Oscars. Many claim that the Academy overly focuses on pretentious art rather than a good movie, which makes sense given the completely undeserving “Tree of Life” getting a best picture nomination over “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Others say that the demography of Academy voters — 77 percent male and 94 percent white — creates a system that doesn’t reward terrific minority roles and performances.
Some people frequently criticize Hollywood for voting for the political choice over the right one (such as when Sean Penn won for “Milk” during the time when an anti-gay marriage bill hovered over California).
Sometimes, though, the Academy deftly sweeps political tensions aside and just votes for the right movie. The world is concerned about the Iran/Israel/U.S. tensions that are growing, and oddly enough, an Iranian movie was pitted against an Israeli one in a battle for best foreign language flick. When “A Separation,” the Iranian film, ended up taking home the Oscar, Asghar Fardahi, the movie’s director, could have chosen this opportunity to make an immensely uncomfortable political statement
Farhadi walked on stage shyly, accepted the award, and spoke for optimism. “At this time,” he began, “many Iranians all over the world are watching us [except in Iran, which didn’t broadcast the show] and I imagine them to be happy.” With all of the political demonizing, nuclear tensions and the shroud of secrecy covering Iran, it’s shocking to hear about something as simple as joy coming from the country.
Perhaps because of these political tensions we haven’t taken a step back and just appreciated a movie for its inherent ability to challenge, captivate and inspire us. Instead of looking solely at the leadership of a country, we should look at their cultural contributions.
Farhadi put it beautifully when he said that the Iranian people are “happy not just because of an important award or a film or filmmaker, but because at the time when talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country Iran is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.”
This speech was incredibly brave, and many have speculated that Farhadi might come under increased scrutiny in Iran for these statements — other Iranian filmmakers have been banned from making movies and some have even received prison sentences. Many of Iran’s youth, born since the 1979 revolution, are against their theocratic rulers, too. It is time to recognize Farhadi’s courageous call and start appreciating the beautiful cultural history of a people instead of solely focusing on current political tensions.