MAKING WAVES
Oscar nominee Asghar Farhadi, who wrote and directed ‘ The Salesman,’ Iran’s entry for best foreignlanguage film, announced Sunday he would not attend the Academy Awards next month even if he were granted an exception to President Trump’s visa ban for citizens from Iran. In a statement, Farhadi said he had hoped to attend the awards and express his opinions in the press surrounding the event. “However, it now seems that the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts, which are in no way acceptable to me ...” He went on to condemn the “unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots and the citizens of the other six countries,” and expressed “hope that the current situation will not give rise to further divide between nations.”