Asghar Farhadi Criticizes Hollywood’s Depiction of Iran and America

Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi expressed his views on Hollywood’s portrayal of Iran and foreign countries during the Rio Film Festival in Brazil. He described Hollywood’s representation of America as a ‘democracy’ as misleading.

While promoting his movie ‘Parallel Tales,’ Farhadi discussed the 2012 film ‘Argo,’ which won Best Picture at the Oscars a year after his film ‘A Separation’ won Best Foreign Language Film. ‘Argo,’ directed by Ben Affleck, depicts the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran by masquerading as a film crew for a science-fiction movie.

Farhadi described ‘Argo’ as a typical ‘Hollywood thing,’ criticizing its plot centered on a ‘White guy from the United States saving others,’ despite the real-life CIA operative Tony Mendez being of Mexican descent.

Farhadi questioned the portrayal of Americans rescuing people in foreign lands, stating, ‘They make these movies for money; it’s a business. And in these films, it’s always a White guy from the United States saving others. My question is: Why?’ He added that Iranians and people in other countries could save themselves without American intervention.

The filmmaker also criticized ‘Argo’ for its depiction of Iran following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, suggesting it presented the country as if it were ‘hell.’ He expressed concern over Hollywood and some American views, which he described as looking at the world from a superior perspective.

Farhadi further challenged America’s claim to democracy, suggesting the ‘real America’ is found among Black and foreign prisoners, and emphasized, ‘You don’t have democracy. It’s a lie.’

David Bozell, President of the Media Research Center, offered a counterpoint, stating that Hollywood portrays American heroism for a reason, noting that America has been asked to save the world twice and remains prepared to do so if needed.

Attempts have been made to reach both Farhadi and Affleck for comments on these statements.