Iran’s Oscar Conundrum

Howard Gensler over at the Philidephia Daily News has a brief but fascinating piece on Iran’s conundrum about receiving an Oscar for “A Separation:”

On the one hand, the country wanted to boast about how its film, “The Separation,” beat out the Israeli film “Footnote.”

(You may take out our nuclear program but we have an Oscar, so there!)

On the other hand, bragging about the Oscar would give validity to the importance of Western influences.

He goes on to talk about how the film has done well…in Israel. Two countries teetering close to war find common humanity at the movies.

Behold the power of free speech and art. It opens up conversations that politicians never can.

In the same vein, check out “This is Not a Film,” a documentary that was smuggled out of Iran on a flash drive hidden in a birthday cake. Forget Melies of “Hugo,” this is a filmmaker banned from creating his art for “propaganda against the regime.”

Here’s to more Iranian truth telling by making movies in the future.