Asghar Farhadi’s latest drama, A Hero, debuts stateside on Amazon in January and is a leading contender in the best international film race, but the Iranian filmmaker is no stranger to the Oscars.
In 2012, Farhadi’s A Separation earned the international prize, then called best foreign language film, before the category’s name change in 2020. The feature starred Leila Hatami as Simin, who seeks to divorce her husband of 14 years, Nader (Peyman Moadi), in an effort to leave Iran with their daughter. Simin’s request is denied in family court when it’s decided their troubles do not warrant the marriage’s dissolution. The couple separates, and the conflict of egos that ensues overshadows the best interests of their child (played by Farhadi’s daughter, Sarina Farhadi).
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Unlike his global breakthrough, 2009’s About Elly, A Separation was originally deemed too specific for an international market. “When I wrote the script, people who read [it] told me, ‘Why you want to make this movie? This is a very local film about Iran, and nobody outside of Iran would understand this,’ ” Farhadi recently told THR‘s Scott Feinberg.
It was seen as such a risky project that he wasn’t able to finance the English subtitles until a representative for the Berlin Film Festival watched the film with a Persian translator by her side. A Separation became the first Iranian feature to receive the festival’s Golden Bear (it also landed awards for best actor and actress) and went on to become the second Iranian film to be nominated — and the first to win — an Academy Award. (It also earned Farhadi a nom for original screenplay.)
Though he is a vocal critic of his government, Farhadi made clear his love for Iranians when he dedicated the Oscar to them, “a people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment.” He joined an elite group of filmmakers with multiple international Oscars when his drama The Salesman won in 2017.
This story first appeared in a December stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
