Remarks at Cannes Press Conference
Asghar Farhadi, the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker, described civilian deaths in Iran as "extremely cruel and tragic" during a press conference at the Cannes film festival. His latest work, Parallel Tales, premiered at the event.
"Any murder is a crime. Under no circumstances can I accept the fact that another human being should lose their life, be it at war, be it executions, be it massacres of demonstrators."
Key Details
- Farhadi stated he was in Tehran last week and remains deeply affected by "two tragic events": the deaths of civilians in war, and the deaths of protesters.
- He asserted that condemning state violence and war deaths are not contradictory positions.
- "Any murder is a crime," he said. "Under no circumstances can I accept the fact that another human being should lose their life, be it at war, be it executions, be it massacres of demonstrators."
Background
Farhadi has lived outside Iran since 2023. He won the Grand Prix at Cannes for A Hero (2021) and two Oscars for Best International Feature: A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016).
Notably, he boycotted the 2017 Academy Awards in protest of Donald Trump's travel ban. He has also vowed not to make films in Iran while censorship laws remain, and earlier called attacks on civilian infrastructure "a war crime."
Iranian cinema remains a powerful presence at Cannes. Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or in 2023, and Mohammad Rasoulof received a special prize in 2024.