A Separation

Farhadi, director of the Iranian film A Separation that received the Oscar for best foreign film, could have taken the easy way out "I'd like to thank the Academy" and thanked family and friends. Or, as a filmmaker who works in Iran, he could have said a few words about the ongoing repression of the country's film industry, widespread censorship, and the difficulties of being an artist in Iran. But Farhadi decided to use his podium to elevate the millions of Iranian people who are being ignored in the global discussions of Iran's nuclear activities that will have significant effects on their personal lives.

Iranian Cinema: Acclaimed Abroad, Under Siege at Home

At a moment when millions were watching to see what filmmaker Asghar Farhadi would say in his Oscar acceptance speech for A Separation, Farhadi chose to talk about the concerns of the Iranian people a...