Trump’s Ban Causes Oscar Winner’s Absence

Byhiphop

The 89th Academy Awards were filled with many surprises but as previously promised by Oscar winning Asghar Farhadi, he and his cast were not present at the awards out of respect for the nations banned by Donald Trump’s immigration laws.

READ: 8 Things To Know About Brianna Perez, The Violinist From Oscar-Nominated Doc ‘Joe’s Violin’

After being blown away by Viola Davis’ moving speech, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi was announced the winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for The Salesman. 

Unlike the other award recipients, Farhadi and his cast were not present at the awards and their acceptance speech was delivered by Iranian-American businesswoman, Anousheh Ansari, who was the first Iranian to travel in space.

Following her ovation, she read Farhadi’s letter:

 

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 whom have been disrespected by the inhuman law that bans entry of immigrants to the US. 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.

This was not the first time a nominee spoke on the issue. A few days prior to the Oscars ceremony, a joint statement was released from the collective of directors of films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. The directors came together and expressed their concordant disapproval of Donald Trump’s travel bans and the overall political climate in the United States. See the full statement below.

READ: ‘Moonlight’s Jharrel Jerome Talks About Playing Queer As A Straight Latino

Source

“I’m so far ahead of my time; I’m bout to start another life/ Look behind you, I’m bout to pass you twice.”- Jay Z

“Youngins ice grillin’ me, oh you not feeling me/Fine, it cost you nothing/Pay me no mind”

“I’d rather die enormous than live dormant”

“They giveth and they taketh life is cruel that way/But even a broken clock is right at least two times a day”

“A wise man told me don’t argue with fools, cause people from a distance can’t tell who is who.”

“Swear to everything, when I leave this Earth, it’s gon’ be on both feet, never knees in the dirt”

“No one said it would be easy, n**** livin’ is work”

“I’m not afraid of dying, I’m afraid of not trying”

Similar Posts