Iran's 'The Salesman' wins Oscar as Farhadi boycotts

Tehran : Iranian film "The Salesman" on Sunday won the Oscar for best foreign language film, but director Asghar Farhadi skipped the Hollywood gala in protest at a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.

Farhadi initially said he would head to Hollywood for Oscars night, where his film -- the story of two actors whose relationship turns sour during a performance of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" -- earned a statuette.

But after citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries were briefly denied entry last month to the United States, he decided there were too many "ifs and buts" about whether he would be allowed to enter the country.

Instead, thousands of people watched "The Salesman" for free in London's Trafalgar Square.

In a statement read at the Oscars in his name, Farhadi said he was staying away in solidarity as people had been "disrespected" by Trump's policy, which is currently on hold after a decision by a federal appeals court.

"Dividing the world into the US and 'our enemies' categories creates fear -- a deceitful justification for aggression and war," he said in the statement read at the Hollywood gala by the Iranian-born US engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari.

"These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.

"Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others -- an empathy which we need today more than ever."