Bahman Ghobadi, the exiled Iranian filmmaker who has won prizes at Cannes, Berlin, San Sebastian and many other international festivals, has penned a letter to the Film Academy saying, “It would be great if we could have one representative from exiled artists.”
Read his missive in full below.
Ghobadi, who had been living in exile since the last 13 years, has joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Ghobadi, who has been in exile for the past 13 years, writes to Dawn Hudson to talk about exiled filmmakers and to suggest that every year, one of their movies be submitted to Academy to be considered for Oscar consideration. He mentions that the same thing happened at the Tokyo Olympics where a team made up of refugees was allowed to participate in the competition.
Iran is a country that has a long filmmaking tradition. One the one hand, it has spawned some of the world’s great directors — Abbas Kiarostami comes to mind — and its films have won Oscars and the Palme d’Or. But the country’s cinema has also been tied up with its politics, inextricably at times.
Iran banned all submissions to the Oscars in 2013, and its directors were not allowed to submit films under its name. Ironically, the year before, Asghar Farhadi’s film A Separation won Best Foreign Language Film for Iran at the Academy Awards.
Ghobadi’s letter cites, among others, Jafar Panahi, who was arrested in 2010 and barred from making movies but has continued to work under threat of imprisonment. His 2015 film Taxi won the Golden Bear at Berlin, and in 2018, Panahi lamented that his own films including The White Balloon — which won the 1995 Camera d’Or at Cannes — can be screened in other countries but have not been allowed to be shown in Iran.
Ghobadi’s Father of My Childrenwon the Special Jury Prize and two other awards at Cannes in 2009, and he shared the Camera d’Or at the 2000 festival for A Time for Drunken Horses. Ghobadi’s Marooned in Iraqearned the François Chalais Award at Cannes in 2002, and hisTurtles Can Fly took the Peace Film Award at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival.
Here is Ghobadi’s letter to Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in its entirety:
I wish one’s homeland was like a violet and you could carry it everywhere with you.
I – Bahman Ghobadi – as the member of Oscar academy – would like to address the concern of many filmmakers around the world, including me. We are filmmakers far from our homelands, but we are still identified by the countries from which we come. The Islamic regime of Iran makes it impossible for me to live in Iran as an Iranian. Because I demanded my rights, I must live in exile. Many filmmakers worldwide are faced with this situation. They cannot return home for various reasons, and must live abroad.
I am a member of Oscar Academy but countries like Turkey and Iran will not allow me to be their representative. There are many independent filmmakers who are being silenced and deprived of their rights in their home countries. These brave filmmakers’ works are not only censored and banned by the regimes, but also they never get an opportunity to enter the Oscar academy. Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and many other Russian and Chinese filmmakers are great examples of those who work under extreme pressure and censorship.
However, there are other issues that I must deal with. Other than having to carry this huge burden on my shoulders, I don’t know what language I should use for making my movie so that it can be screened in other countries. All I can do now is hope that some government will recognize my work and bring it to the academy.
There are many other filmmakers who must suffer just like me. It would be wonderful if there was one representative of exiled artists. In Tokyo Olympics, a team of refugees from athletics was also allowed to participate in the competition. A refugee team could consist of filmmakers. They can have their work viewed by a juror and then one film can be selected from the refugee group. These filmmakers will have their films viewed on an international stage. This raises awareness about the conditions they face and why they do not live in their homeland. Artists like these can get a lot more attention, which will give them more financial support and opportunities. This request is made on behalf of artists in exile, artists who are in the same situation as me. I ask that you immediately pay attention to this matter.
Regards,
Bahman Ghobadi