Farhadi Calls Iran Protest Crackdown and War Deaths Deeply Painful at Cannes
Asghar Farhadi's Reflections at the Cannes Film Festival
Impact of Recent Events in Iran
CANNES, France, May 15 (Reuters) - Asghar Farhadi, director of the first Iranian film to win the Oscar for best foreign language movie, on Friday described as deeply painful the deaths of thousands of people in a January crackdown on protesters and the ongoing war affecting Iran.
"I was actually in Tehran last week, and I am still carrying the impact of these events with me," the two-time Oscar-winning director told journalists at the Cannes Film Festival, where his film "Parallel Tales" premiered the night before.
"Both are deeply painful, and neither will ever be forgotten."
Protests and Crackdown in Iran
In January, anti-government protests across Iran were quashed in the biggest crackdown in the Islamic Republic's history. At the end of February, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes launched a war against Iran that has drawn in the broader Middle East.
Farhadi's Personal Response
Farhadi, who has been based largely outside Iran since 2023, added that it was painful to read news about innocent people being killed every day.
Farhadi's Cinematic Achievements
Oscar Wins and International Recognition
Farhadi's "A Separation" became the first Iranian movie to win the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2012.
He won the same Oscar five years later with "The Salesman," though he boycotted the ceremony in protest against the travel ban affecting several Muslim-majority countries during U.S. President Donald Trump's first presidential term.
Parallel Tales at Cannes
"Parallel Tales," a drama set in Paris featuring French-language stars Isabelle Huppert and Vincent Cassel, is in competition for the festival's top prize against 21 other films.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by Barbara Lewis)
