Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi took to social media to protest against the arrest of Taraneh Alidoosti, the beloved actor of his Oscar-winning film “The Salesman.”
Alidoosti, who starred in three other films directed by Farhadi, was jailed on Saturday after taking part in demonstrations to fight against the oppressive Iranian regime. She was also sanctioned for standing in solidarity with imprisoned Iranian filmmakers, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof.
“I have worked with Taraneh on four films and now she is in prison for her rightful support of her fellow countrymen and her opposition to the unjust sentences being issued,” Farhadi wrote on his Instagram account. “If showing such support is a crime, then tens of millions of people of this land are criminals,” he continued.
Farhadi said he “(stood) with Taraneh and (demanded) her release alongside that of his other fellow cineastes Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof and all the other less-known prisoners whose only crime is the attempt for a better life.”
Other outspoken figures in Iran have been punished by authorities, including the Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi who had his passport confiscated at the airport on Oct. 14 as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival premiere of his latest film, “Subtraction.”
Asghar Farhadi Protests Against Arrest of ‘The Salesman’ Star Taraneh Alidoosti in Iran
