Speculation surrounding which film would represent Iran at the 2017 Academy Awards finally came to an end in mid-September with the selection of “The Salesman” by Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi. The movie was chosen by a committee of the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. “The Salesman” won the best screenplay and best male actor prizes at the Cannes Film Festival in May, but Iranian critics are unhappy about its selection for the US awards. They have complained of script problems, that it presents a distorted image of Iranian society and that it undermines family honor and dignity.
In 1997, director Abbas Kiarostami, who died July 4, won the Palme d’Or, the highest award at Cannes, for his “Taste of Cherry.” His accomplishment of becoming the first Iranian to win at Cannes received very little attention or praise in Iran. Kiarostami was not publicly greeted at the airport upon his return to Tehran, nor were there long lines to see his film. In fact, “Taste of Cherry” was banned in Iran. Nineteen years later, however, the situation is very different.