Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Salesman) has urged global filmmakers to take a stand against the “destruction of civilian infrastructure in the country.”
His call to action, issued on Tuesday via Iranian journalist Mansour Jahani, follows U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to destroy a “whole civilization” in Iran, including civilian infrastructure, if a ceasefire deal is not reached before a Tuesday night deadline.
“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,” Farhadi stated.
On Monday, Trump, as part of shifting deadlines and threats to Iran’s civilian infrastructure, during a press conference threatened to blow up bridge and power plants in that country. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Alexandre Mallet-Guy, the French co-producer of Farhadi’s latest feature, Parallel Tales, for additional details on his appeal to fellow filmmakers, but did not hear back.
Farhadi’s statement follows in full:
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.
