Iranian Director Criticizes Hollywood's Portrayal of Foreign Countries, Calls US Democracy a 'Lie'

Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has criticized Hollywood's portrayal of Iran and other foreign nations, stating that the notion of American democracy is a "lie." Farhadi made these remarks on Friday at the Rio Film Festival in Brazil while promoting his latest film, "Parallel Tales."

His comments arose when discussing "Argo," the 2012 film directed by Ben Affleck that won Best Picture at the Oscars the year after Farhadi's "A Separation" secured Best Foreign Language Film. "Argo" is a dramatized account of the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the CIA's exfiltration of six American diplomats from Tehran.

Farhadi described "Argo" as a "Hollywood thing," suggesting its narrative was superficial and relied on a "white guy" saving others. He questioned the premise of American intervention, asking, "Why does an American go to Cuba or Iran to save people? People understand they can save themselves. Who asked you to come and save us?"

He further accused the film, which is set after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, of depicting Iran in an overly negative light, likening it to "hell."

"The problem with these kinds of films in Hollywood [and] some people in the United States [is that] they look at the world from up to down," Farhadi stated, according to Variety. "Someday you should ask them: Why do you feel you’re up and we’re down? I don’t understand why they have this ego that they’re up."

Farhadi also challenged the United States' claim to democracy, asserting that he believes the "real America" can be found among Black and foreign prisoners. "You don’t have democracy. It’s a lie," he declared.

In response to Farhadi's critique, David Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, commented that America has a history of intervening globally. "America was asked to save the world, and we did, not once, but twice. And we’re always preparing to do it again, if we’re asked to, at a moment’s notice. Maybe Hollywood makes movies about Americans saving the world for a reason," Bozell said.