Oscar winner Iran director Asghard Fahardi’s speech against hate

Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner, Asghar Fahardi (The Salesman), delivered an important message at the Oscars Academy Awards yesterday, February 26^th.

In January, this Iranian director had already announced his decision not to attend the Awards in protest against the anti-immigration law recently announced by president Trump in the US, which restricted the entry of travelers arriving from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Despite of his absence, his speech was read by Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian and first Muslim woman in space, who sent a direct and important message: “Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear”.

You can read the complete speech below:

“It’s a great honor to be receiving this valuable award for the second time. I would like to thank the members of the academy, my crew in Iran, my producer, Amazon, and my fellow nominees.

I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S. Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear—a deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression. Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever.”