Asghar Farhadi, an Iranian director who has won two Oscars, urged people all over the world on Sunday to “stand in solidarity” with demonstrators in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s passing while in the morality police’s care.
Since the passing of 22-year-old Amini, Iran has experienced a wave of discontent, and Farhadi commended the “progressive and brave women conducting protests for their human rights alongside males.”
This civilization, and these women in particular, have endured a difficult and terrible journey to get here, but they have now unquestionably reached a turning point.
According to an official count, at least 41 people have died, including security personnel, but human rights organizations claim the actual number is much higher.
The majority of them are relatively young, between the ages of 17 and 20, as I observed them closely these nights. Their faces and the way they marched through the streets conveyed fury and hope to me. Even with all the brutality they endure, I passionately respect their fight for freedom and the ability to determine their own course of action, Farhadi remarked.
In 2011 and 2016, A Separation and The Salesman, two of Farhadi’s films that focus on issues that people face every day, earned Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
He said: “I ask all artists, filmmakers, philosophers, civil rights activists, and everyone who believes in human dignity and freedom to stand in solidarity with the strong and brave women and men of Iran by creating films, in writing, or in any other way”.