Oscar foreign language film nominees decry fanaticism in U.S.
The heavy political overtones accompanying this year's Academy Awards became evident in advance of Sunday's ceremony, as directors of the five foreign-language film nominees Friday issued an unprecedented advance statement condemning "the climate of fanaticism and nationalism" in the U.S. and other countries.
They dedicated the Oscar, no matter which film wins, to those working toward unity.
They directors symbolically rejected the borders that define their category's nominees, saying, "We believe there is no best country, best gender, best religion or best color. We want this award to stand as a symbol of the unity between nations and the freedom of the arts."
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The statement does not name President Trump but points in his direction, referring to an unhealthy climate stoked by parts of the population, "including leading politicians."
Asghar Farhadi, who wrote and directed The Salesman, Iran's entry in the foreign-film category, said last month he would not attend Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles after President Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring citizens of certain countries from entering the U.S.
The statement could be a preview of a similar comments during Sunday's Oscar speeches, as many actors have been speaking out on political matters, as exemplified by Meryl Streep at January's Golden Globes, in reaction to the election of President Trump, whom many in the entertainment community oppose.
On Friday, Farhadi joined with the other directors — Martin Zandvliet, Land of Mine (Denmark); Hannes Holm, A Man Called Ove (Sweden); Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann (Germany) and Marin Butler and Bentley Dean, Tanna (Australia) — to decry division and dedicate themselves to using the power of film to bring people together.
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The statement opens with a condemnation of the political mood: "On behalf of all nominees, we would like to express our unanimous and emphatic disapproval of the climate of fanaticism and nationalism we see today in the U.S. and in so many other countries, in parts of the population and, most unfortunately of all, among leading politicians."
The directors then spoke against division by gender, race, religion and other categories.
"The fear generated by dividing us into genders, colors, religions and sexualities as a means to justify violence destroys the things that we depend on — not only as artists but as humans: the diversity of cultures, the chance to be enriched by something seemingly 'foreign' and the belief that human encounters can change us for the better. These divisive walls prevent people from experiencing something simple but fundamental: from discovering that we are all not so different," they write.
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They said they will use their filmmaking talents to explore the lives of different people and cultures in the hope that that will lead to greater understanding. "Although we don`t want to overestimate the power of movies, we do believe that no other medium can offer such deep insight into other people’s circumstances and transform feelings of unfamiliarity into curiosity, empathy and compassion — even for those we have been told are our enemies."
They concluded the statement with a plea on behalf of respecting human rights and dedicated the Oscar to those working for unity and human dignity.
"Human rights are not something you have to apply for. They simply exist — for everybody. For this reason, we dedicate this award to all the people, artists, journalists and activists who are working to foster unity and understanding, and who uphold freedom of expression and human dignity — values whose protection is now more important than ever. By dedicating the Oscar to them, we wish to express to them our deep respect and solidarity."
Contributing: Bryan Alexander