TEHRAN -- The Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance has said that Ben Affleck’s Iran hostage drama “Argo” was selected as best picture at the Annual Academy Awards in a response to Iran’s boycott of the Oscars this year.
“They were angry that Iran had boycotted this year’s Oscars over the production of a U.S. film insulting Prophet Muhammad (S),” Mohammad Hosseini said during a press conference on Monday.
“Thus, they picked up ‘Argo’, which highlights an untrue story and gives an inaccurate image of the Iranian people,” he added.
He said that the Academy’s decision to award “Argo” as best film was “a political action, which spoils the professional aspect of the Academy” and added, “By such decisions, they will destroy what confidence they have left.”
“It was obvious that this year’s Oscars would be political and announcing the ‘Argo’ win from the White House confirmed that,” Hosseini stated.
U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama presented the award for best film to “Argo” at this year’s Oscars via a live video link from the White House.
The Hollywood thriller is about the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to bring six fugitive U.S. diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.
Iran boycotted the 2013 Oscars in protest over the Academy Awards’ silence on the production of “Innocence of Muslims”, an anti-Islam video produced in the United States.
The amateurish video insulting Prophet Muhammad (S) was posted on the Internet in September 2012.
Thus, Iran refrained from considering a submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2013 Academy Awards.
Last year, the Iranian film “A Separation” directed by Asghar Farhadi was voted Best Foreign Language Film.
MMS/YAW
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