Iran snubs Oscar winner

By NASSER KARIMI

Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran

Iranian authorities canceled a ceremony Monday in honor of the country’s Oscar-winning director even though the government had hailed his win as a triumph over a competitor from Israel.

The event for Asghar Farhadi, whose movie, “A Separation,” won the Oscar for best foreign film last month, was abruptly scrapped after authorities denied permission, according to the semi- official Ilna news agency.

There were no details as to why a permit was denied but some Iranian conservatives were upset with the film’s themes: domestic turmoil, gender inequality and the desire by many to leave the country.

Ilna said two cinema groups, the Center for Directors of Iranian Cinema and the High Council of Producers of Iranian Cinema, issued a statement decrying the cancellation. All public events in Iran need government approval.

Iran had welcomed Farhadi’s Oscar as the movie beat an Israeli film and three others in the foreign language category, describing it as a conquest for Iranian culture and a blow for Israel’s perceived outsized influence in America.

Last year, film director Jafar Panahi, who won awards at the Cannes film festival, was sentenced to house arrest and a 20-year ban on filming for “making propaganda” against Iran’s ruling system.