Iranian director Asghar Farhadi announced he would not attend tonight's Academy Awards because of Trump's travel ban, but won Best Foreign Language Film for "The Salesman."
Since he didn't show up, he had a statement read by Anousheh Ansari, the first Muslim woman to go to space:
"I'm sorry I'm not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country, and those of [the] other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S. Dividing the world into the 'us' and 'our enemies' categories creates fear – a deceitful justification for aggression and war. 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."
