Was "The Salesman" Iran's best choice for Oscar nomination?
The selection of Asghar Farhadi's film "The Salesman" as Iran's representative for the 2017 Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film category ended speculation that had been circulating in recent weeks about the appropriate representative of Iranian cinema this year.
Last week, the selection committee formed by the Farabi Cinema Foundation announced its decision a week ahead of the deadline, unlike in previous years, and despite some comments about the need to introduce films other than The Salesman, it still preferred to once again allow the only Oscar-winning director of Iranian cinema to step into the prestigious Oscar arena.
The panel, consisting of Pouran Derakhshandeh, Mohammad Bozorgnia, Mohammad Heydari, Saeed Aghighi, Amirhossein Alamhoda, Shahram Mokri, Touraj Mansouri, Akbar Nabavi, and Amir Esfandiari, named the films "Lanturi" by Reza Darmishian, "Standing in the Dust" by Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian, "Nahid" by Aida Panahandeh, and "Dukhtar" by Reza Mirkarimi as the final choices, along with The Seller, a day before announcing the final decision. Among these films, "Standing in the Dust," which tells the story of Ahmad Motavaslian, a commander in the Iran-Iraq War, was considered a choice supported by some media outlets and figures close to the government, and even Ali Jannati, the Minister of Cultural Affairs, considered it a suitable film for submission to the Oscars. Despite all this, the panel that submitted Iranian films to the Oscars ultimately chose The Seller.
Due to its creative background and successful appearance at the recent Cannes Film Festival, as well as its distribution in the United States by Amazon, even before its official introduction as Iran's representative, The Salesman was considered by observers and global media as one of the most serious contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film category. Writer and film critic Hooman Davoudi considers The Salesman the best choice to participate in the 2017 Oscars, citing the following:
"The criteria for selecting a film for the Oscars, in many cases, have nothing to do with the quality of the films themselves. The Oscars are competitive and like a battlefield, and every nominee who is introduced aims only to win. For completely unknown films, there is a huge barrier to convincing the evaluators and Oscar voters. But The Salesman has already gone this far due to its producer's track record, and everyone is eager to see and watch it. That means those who vote at the Oscars and evaluate the quality of films have a kind of open mind about The Salesman and are receptive to the film. In a way, that positive mental background has been formed for them. Another important issue is that this film has been highly praised at the Cannes Film Festival, and this is also a great advantage. It is even possible that in addition to being nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film category, it will also be considered for the Best Screenplay category. Something that we know of has only happened to Mr. Farhadi himself for the first and last time."
After winning the Oscar five years ago for his film “A Separation from Nader and Simin,” Asghar Farhadi also competed in the Oscars in 2013 with the film “The Past,” but was unsuccessful. This is his third time entering the Oscars arena, but some do not think his chances are high. Mohammad Haghighat, a filmmaker and film critic based in France, is one of these experts who says that Iran has little chance of winning the award again, considering the Oscars it has won in recent years:
"Naturally, a film that has a distributor in the United States and has been featured in international festivals this year will attract more attention at the Oscars. But apart from that, I think that since Iran has won an Oscar in recent years, it is unlikely that another Iranian film will be able to win an Oscar twice so quickly. It is very rare for a filmmaker from a country like Iran to win an Oscar twice in a few years. But if it is possible, it would be a great idea. But I think it is very, very unlikely. As I told Mr. Kiarostami years ago, I don't think Iran will win a Palme d'Or anytime soon, and it has been twenty years since Iran's last Palme d'Or."
Based on this argument, Mr. Haghighat says that it would have been better if films made by young filmmakers had been nominated for the Academy Awards. In this context, he points to the film "Lanturi" by Reza Dermishian.
With the nomination of the Persian-language film "Under the Shadow" by Babak Anvari from Britain for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, this year three Iranian-born filmmakers will compete for the Oscar in this category. Apart from Asghar Farhadi and Babak Anvari, Navid Mahmoudi is also representing Afghan cinema in the Best Foreign Language Film category with his film "Going Away."
The Salesman, which is currently being screened in Iran with a very good reception from the audience, will begin its public screenings in various countries around the world on November 9 (November 19), with a wide release in France. Amazon plans to begin the public screening of the film in the United States during the season of screening films with high hopes for the Oscars in the final days of the year.
According to this year's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences calendar, after the introduction of films by various countries, the initial list of nine films will be announced on January 17, and the five finalists for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar will be announced a week later. The 89th Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on February 26, 2017 (Monday morning, March 26, Iranian time).
Source: Radio Farda
