Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for "The Salesman". REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Doha: A film co-financed by Doha Film Institute (DFI) has picked up an Oscar in this year’s function held in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The Salesman by director Asghar Farhadi won the Oscar for best foreign language film and is partly funded by DFI.
The film revolves around the story of two actors whose relationship turns sour during a performance of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman".
In a congratulatory tweet DFI said: “Historic moment: our co-financed film THE SALESMAN wins the Foreign Film #Oscar, 1st time in 48 years for a film with an Arab co-financing!”
First time in history for a film co-financed by #Qatar! Congrats to #Qumra17 master Asghar Farhadi!#Oscars pic.twitter.com/CYjYCydmAs
— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) February 27, 2017
Asghar Farhadi is also one of the Masters of Qumra 2017. Qumra is a DFI initiative that provides mentorship, nurturing, and hands-on development for emerging filmmakers from Qatar and around the world and the third edition of Qumra will be held from March 3 to 8 in Doha.
In another tweet congratulating Farhadi DFI said: “First time in history for a film co-financed by #Qatar! Congrats to #Qumra17 master Asghar Farhadi!”
Farhadi skipped the Hollywood gala in protest at a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.
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.
At the age of just 44, Farhadi has established himself as Iran's most acclaimed director, touching people around the globe with stories that resonate beyond borders.
This was his second film to win an Oscar in the foreign language film category, following the 2012 victory for "A Separation" -- a stark, powerful family drama about Iran's fractured social classes, which also picked up a Golden Globe.
His lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, also boycotted the event, calling Trump's visa ban "racist".
Born in 1972 near the ancient city of Isfahan, Farhadi was swiftly drawn towards the arts, becoming interested in writing, drama and cinema while still at school.
He later took courses at the Iranian Young Cinema Society and graduated with a master's degree in film direction from Tehran University in 1998.
"The Salesman" also found success at last year's Cannes film festival, with Farhadi winning best screenplay and his star Shahab Hosseini named best actor.
It was his second official festival selection after his French-language film "The Past" in 2013, which won the ecumenical jury prize.
Farhadi's "About Elly", which tells of a woman who vanishes on a beach getaway with friends, scooped the Silver Bear award for best director at the 2009 Berlin film festival.
Other films include "Dancing In The Dust," "Fireworks Wednesday" and "Beautiful City".
Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Isfahan. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Film Direction from Tehran University in 1998. His directorial debut came in 2003 with ‘Dancing in the Dust’ and was followed by ‘Beautiful City’ (2004), ‘Fireworks Wednesday’ (2006) and ‘About Elly’, which took the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale in 2009.
‘A Separation’ (2011), his fifth feature, won the Golden Bear for Best Film as well as two Silver Bears at the Berlinale, as well as a huge number of awards around the world.
Since then, he has directed the widely acclaimed and multi-award winning ‘The Past’ (2013) and ‘The Salesman’.
