The Foreign Language Oscar Nominees Have Delivered A Thinly Veiled Dig At President Trump

Monday’s Oscar ceremony is shaping up as a doozy. Not because of who’ll win (spoilers: it’ll be La La Land) but because of what the winners might say when they do. Last month’s Golden Globes and SAG Awards were jam packed with subtle and not so subtle digs at President Trump’s administration, and unless POTUS and Meryl Streep bury the hatchet in the next 48 hours, it’s hard to imagine the Oscars will be any different.

Getting in on the action early, the filmmakers behind all five of this year’s Best Foreign Language Film nominees have today issued a joint statement expressing their “unanimous and emphatic disapproval of the climate of fanaticism and nationalism we see today in the U.S.”

“Regardless of who wins the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on Sunday, we refuse to think in terms of borders,” the statement reads. “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.”

The statement comes after Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Oscar in 2012 for A Separation and is nominated again this year for his film The Salesman, declared his intention not to attend Monday’s ceremony in the wake of Trump’s ill-conceived travel ban. It is cosigned by Farhadi alongside Australia’s Martin Butler and Bentley Dean (Tanna), Germany’s Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann), Sweden’s Hannes Holm (A Man Called Ove) and Denmark’s Martin Zandvliet (Land of Mine).

Farhadi also spoke earlier today, via video link from Tehran, at a pro-refugee rally in Beverly Hills organised by Hollywood’s United Talent Agency. “It is comforting to know that at a time when some politicians are trying to promote hate by creating divisions between cultures, religions and nationalities, the cinema community has joined the people in a commendable show of unity,” he said.

From Tehran, Asghar Farhadi says artists “can break stereotypes” by “turning their cameras to capture shared human qualities” #UnitedVoices pic.twitter.com/jGo8dSqfhS

— United Talent Agency (@unitedtalent) February 25, 2017

You can read the full statement by this year’s Foreign Language Oscar nominees below.

“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 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.

So we’ve asked ourselves: What can cinema do? 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.

Regardless of who wins the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on Sunday, we refuse to think in terms of borders. 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.

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.”

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h/t Indiewire. Feature image via Prayitno Hadinata/Flickr