Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has called on artists and filmmakers around the world to protest against the U.S. and Israel’s bombing of Iran to “prevent the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the country.”
On Monday, Iran rejected a 45-day U.S. ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, while U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic. Israel has attacked major gas field that is Iran’s biggest source of domestic energy.
Farhadi, who won Oscars for “A Separation” in 2011 and “The Salesman” in 2016, has been living outside Iran since 2023, shortly before protests following the death of Mahsa Amini erupted in his home country.
His new Paris-set film “Parallel Tales” with a top notch French cast — including Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel and Catherine Deneuve — is expected to launch from the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Read Farhadi’s full appeal below.
I call on artists and filmmakers everywhere in the world to be a voice in these critical days and hours, in any way possible, to stop the destructive aggression that has increasingly destroyed civilian infrastructure.
Infrastructure that belongs to the Iranian people and is related to the basic needs of their daily lives. The destruction of infrastructure is not just the destruction of buildings, it is an attack on human life and dignity.
Attacking a country’s infrastructure is a war crime. Regardless of any beliefs or attitudes, let’s unite to stop this inhumane, illegal and destructive process.
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