Farhadi: Middle East Filmmaker of the Year
Jim Poe
20.10.2011
- On Thursday, Variety presented
its Middle East Filmmaker of the Year award for 2011 to Iranian
writer/director Asghar Farhadi. The ceremony took place at a
reception hosted by the Abu Dhabi Film Festival at the Fairmont Bab
Al Bahr hotel.
Farhadi's latest film, the psychological drama A Separation, has been widely acclaimed both at home
and in foreign markets, becoming one of the most prominent Iranian
films ever released. The Tehran-based Farhadi, a guest of ADFF, was
there in person to receive the award. The director is familiar to
Festival audiences; he appeared here when his breakout film, the
award-winning About Elly, created a buzz in 2009.
A Separation, which screens at the Festival this week as
part of the Narrative Competition, premiered in February at the
Berlin International Film Festival, where it took top prizes,
including the Golden Bear for best picture and both acting awards
for the ensemble cast's performances. No Iranian film had ever won
the Golden Bear, nor had one ever swept a major Western film
festival. It went on to set a record with seven prizes at Tehran's
Fajr Film Festival and to win best film at a number of other
international festivals. It is Iran's candidate for Best
Foreign-Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards.
With A Separation, Farhadi has tapped into a universal
appeal reserved for only a few foreign-language dramas; the film
has engrossed audiences wherever it's been screened. It has sold
millions of tickets in France and Germany, and perhaps more
significantly, has even been a hit in Iran - where the auteurist
films beloved by cinephiles overseas are not often financially
successful. The film is due for release in the US later this
year.
A Separation tells the story of a harrowing legal
conflict that escalates after a simple misunderstanding between two
families - one secular and middle-class, the other poor and
devoutly religious - in contemporary Tehran. Critics have lauded
the film for its masterful drama and suspense, its subtle treatment
of Iran's social turmoil and the nuanced, sympathetic performances
of its acting ensemble: Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat and
Shahab Hosseini (with the director's daughter, Sarina Farhadi, in
support).
In his introduction at the awards ceremony, Alberto Lopez,
Variety international director said, "For anyone who loves
film… A Separation is a complete master class." Peter
Scarlet, ADFF's executive director, called it "a miraculous
film."
In his acceptance speech, Farhadi attempted to explain the
film's popularity. "When I started making this movie, I thought
that it may not be appreciated by foreign audiences... The
interesting thing that I found is that the more you focus on your
local environment and conditions, the more you can connect with the
world outside."
Farhadi also indirectly alluded to his delicate position as a
cinematic and cultural ambassador from a troubled nation - where
several filmmakers, most notably Jafar Panahi, have faced
indictments and imprisonment for making anti-government propaganda.
"It's been an interesting experience showing this film around the
world for me because I've found that people around the world have
more similarities than differences. I think it's politics that
exaggerates the differences, and cinema helps to bridge the
differences. That is why in many places in the world, there is a
clash between politicians and filmmakers."
By bestowing this award on Farhadi, Variety recognizes
the importance of building those bridges, and the power of a great
film to accomplish it.