Moonlight, Iran's The Salesman Win As Oscars End In Chaos

The coming-of-age drama Moonlight upset La La Land to win the best-picture Oscar in one of the wildest finishes ever for the Academy Awards, while The Salesman, a film by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, won in the best foreign-language film category.

The ceremony on February 26 was plunged into chaos when presenter Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced that La La Land had won the best picture award. After the cast and crew accepted the award, an announcement was made that Moonlight had actually won, bringing that cast to the stage to accept.

Before the chaotic ending, the ceremonies had run smoothly, although they were tinged with political statements and jabs at U.S. President Donald Trump, including attacks on his immigration policies.

One of the strongest statements came from Farhadi, who boycotted the ceremony in protest of Trump’s controversial attempt to temporarily bar people from Iran and six other predominantly Muslim nations from entering the United States.

Iranian engineer and space tourist Anousheh Ansari accepted on Farhadi’s behalf.

“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” Ansari read in a statement from Farhadi. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.”

“Dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear, a deceitful justification for aggression and war,” Ansari read.

Farhadi and the film’s leading actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, last month said they would not attend the event in protest of Trump’s immigration order.