Farhadi Slams 'Argo' as 'White Savior' Myth at Rio — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Asghar Farhadi criticized "Argo" and similar Hollywood films for perpetuating a white savior myth, asking: "Who asked you to come and save us?"
- Farhadi said Americans look at the world "from up to down" and claimed the U.S. "doesn't have democracy" — "It's a lie"
- Farhadi abandoned plans to shoot "Parallel Tales" in the U.S. after three years of writing, casting, and research, relocating to France because the film's "DNA is more European than American"
- The French-produced "Parallel Tales" stars Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, and Vincent Cassel, all of whom said yes immediately when Farhadi sent the script
- Farhadi said his next film will be in Farsi and will not directly address the current war in Iran or the conflict in Palestine, though the political climate may shape the story underneath
- Farhadi argued mainstream media coverage of Iran comes from "very simple knowledge" of real life there, and that the most powerful media "belongs to powerful people"
Why it matters: Farhadi's comments land at a moment when debates about how Hollywood portrays the Middle East are already live, and his decision to abandon a U.S. production after three years and move it to France is a concrete vote of no-confidence in where authentic cross-cultural storytelling can happen.
Ask SkimNews
