The event had to be canceled by organizers after the government denied permission for the ceremony to take place. All public events in the Islamic Republic require a state license.
Asghar Farhadi’s “Nader and Simin: A Separation” won the Oscar in the best foreign language film category, beating four other films, including an Israeli one.
Many in the regime have long been uncomfortable with some of the themes Farhadi’s film portrays, including a desire to emigrate, family frictions and gender issues.
Two Iranian cinema organizations, the Center for Directors of Iranian Cinema and the High Council of Producers of Iranian Cinema, decried the refusal to license the celebration of the Oscar victory.
“We intended to have a simple and friendly meeting to say ‘thank you’ for the great achievement you brought Iran and Iranian cinema, but the cultural custodians did not let us carry this out,” read a statement addressed to Farhadi.
“We deeply regret this,” the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) quoted the statement as saying.
The two organizations also said the government did not explain its refusal. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance said it had no information about the ceremony, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Farhadi’s Oscar success and his announced plans to make his next film in France have kindled speculation he is leaving Iran for good, as many Iranian filmmakers have already done. The director, however, has denied that.
“I love my country and I will not change it for anywhere in the world,” he was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
“I am at the point of filming a movie outside of the country,” he said, adding, “I will never emigrate from Iran.”
According to the trade publication Screen Daily, Farhadi’s upcoming film is a love story between a young Iranian woman and a North African man. Far-hadi, 40, is to begin filming in France within weeks, it said.
