Iranian film “A Separation” director denies emigration rumors

TEHRAN, Jan.1 (MNA) -- Director of acclaimed Iranian film “Nader and Simin, a Separation” has denied rumors that he has emigrated from Iran. “Neither have I emigrated nor do I plan to emigrate,” Asghar Farhadi told in a telephoto interview from Paris on Saturday. Speculations sparked in July after he announced his plan to shoot his next film in Paris. “The first time I heard the rumor when I was behind a red light in Tehran’s Haft-e Tir Square,” Farhadi said. “But, I have travelled to Paris to be familiar with the atmosphere of the city in order to begin writing the screenplay with my writer colleague there,” he added. He plans to commence shooting immediately after completion of the script for the film. “After the film is completed I, along with my family, will return to Iran,” Farhadi stated. “When you plan to make a film in a country you need to live there for a while to learn about the environment,” he noted. The film will be a love story between an Iranian girl and a boy of North African origins, the co-director of the Memento Films, which has signed a contract to produce the film, previously announced. French actor of Algerian origin Tahar Rahim will play one of the leading roles in the film that is untitled as yet, Alexandre Mallet-Guy said. Memento Films has also purchased the rights for international sales and French release of Farhadi’s latest film “Nader and Simin, a Separation”, which is contending for a foreign language Oscar nomination. The film was released in the United States on Friday. “A Separation” won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2011. It received the best foreign language film awards from the U.S. National Board of Review and New York Film Critics Circle, and a Golden Globe nomination. The emigration rumors about Farhadi are spread by his opponents, who believe that he has portrayed a dark image of Iran in “A Separation”. They believe that the organizers of the foreign events only recognize productions with such an attitude.