The 2012 Oscars was a spectacular night, reminiscent of more succesful Oscar eras past as well as making history for foreign artists. Jean Dujardin became the first French actor to win Best Leading Actor, ‘Saving Face’ marked the first win by a Pakistani director, and the breathtaking drama ‘A Separation’ ran off with the award for Best Foreign Language film, gaining the extinguished pleasure of being the first Iranian movie to do so.

Director Asghar Farhadi is known for his admirable ability to convey the details of modern Iranian society and made an unfaltering portrayal of a family, struggling to come to terms with their disagreements, their responsibilities and the constraints of their culture.

Credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S

It was a politically tinted acceptance speech that followed the win; director Farhadi noted the immense joy that his achievement would bring his nation. “They are happy not just because of an important award or a film or a filmmaker, but because at the time when talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.”

He continued, “I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, the people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment.”

Backstage, the Oscar press corps caught up with the director and asked him in depth about the obvious geo-political facets of his win.

Q. Congratulations. You’re the first winner from Iran. Obviously the Iranians are so happy for you right now; they’re excited all around the board. What is your message to the people and how this award can impact their lives, especially in such a difficult time?

A. I’m very happy about this award and I believe that Iranian people are also very happy, and this is what really matters to me. I don’t think this would have any specific message to the Iranian people other than the fact that cultural activities are the most important factors that we need to stick to in the world. I will be very happy to know that the image that the world gets from our country, Iran, is a very clear image, that it’s not a vague image. If people around the world try to find the image of one another through the prism of culture, I believe that image would be a more real and a more clear image.

Credit: 84th Annual Academy Awards®

Q. Many congratulations to you. What is it about A Separation which has made it connect with so many people around the world?

A. It is difficult for me to point my finger to a specific thing, but I think what matters is that even though this film was a local film, it could still relate to all people around the world because it is about human relations. What happens in this film is not specific to a region or a geography and perhaps this is the reason why this film is understandable by people throughout the world like Australia, America, Middle East.

Q. Hi, I’m from Israel. And I wanted to know particularly does Iran follow the Oscars at all, and does it mean anything that Iran was nominated with Israel?

A. People in Iran follow the Oscars a lot more than you think they do, and I know for a fact that right now as the event is happening, it’s in the middle of the night in the middle of the morning and people are not sleeping, and I know that they’re following. And perhaps the reason why they follow it this year so closely is because by every means it is a cultural event for them and they would like to hear the name of their country through culture.

Credit: Darren Decker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. I’m from Polish television. Congratulations. You won over ‘In Darkness’. I wonder whether you saw Agnieszka Holland’s movie and if you could please comment on it.

A. Yes, I have seen the film and more than the film I am very much honored by the director herself, and I love her work and believe in her not just for her work but for her humanity, and I saw her a few weeks ago and she told me that even though her film was nominated in the same category, she voted for my film, and to me this was the ultimate greatness of a human being. I believe that your country should be very proud of such a great director who is a great filmmaker and a great human being.

Q. Can you give us an update on how Iranian government has officially reacted to the claim that your movie has won and how you think they’ll react to this Oscar?

A. I really don’t know and I can’t predict what’s going to happen so I’m just going to wait and see how they respond. The Iranian government is not unanimous at all. When this film was nominated some were very happy, some were excited, and some were not as happy, so it’s not like you have the same level of people in the system. To me what matters is that the people of Iran are happy.

Q. Congratulations. The issue of tension, especially nuclear tension between Iran and the United States is very strong right now and frankly a lot of people in this country don’t know what to think of Iran, so what kind of message does your film want to send as you try to communicate between people and not government?

A. What you refer to is what’s happening between the governments, and I don’t have any message for the governments because I believe that this film is communicating with the people and I don’t think that government people are really into cinema.

Image Courtesy of  Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. (Top Image)

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Last night was the dream night for the beautiful and unconventional film ‘The Artist’. The 2012 Academy Awards was truly a night for artists as solid craftsmanship was celebrated and history was made. One of the delightful results was the well deserved win by the French actor Jean Dujardin for his portrayal of the fading silent movie star George Valentin — an amazing performance that won the Academy’s hearts and votes. It also makes him the first French actor to ever receive the honor.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Dujardin was tearful as Natalie Portman, last year’s winner in the Leading Actress category, as is tradition, introduced the performances all of the nominees. She noted the exquisite achievement of the French actor and he was visibly moved by the kind words. As his name was announced, the charming smile that moviegoers fell in love with in The Artist spread across his face as he approached the scene to accept the statue

Thank you. Oui! I love your country. Thank you to the Academy. It’s funny because in 1929 it wasn’t Billy Crystal, but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscar ceremony. Tickets cost five dollars and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed. So thank you Douglas Fairbanks. Yes Melissa, your grandfather’s spirit and joie de vivre inspired me for this role. And so many of you here tonight have inspired me. Thank you Michel, thank you for this incredible gift. Thank you my wonderful partner Bérénice Bejo. Thank you the wonderful cast and crew. My wife, I love you. Kisses Simon, Jules, Chloe. And if George Valentin could speak, he’d say [French]. Merci beaucoup. I love you.

In his excitement, the 39-year-old actor, the youngest of the nominated, was almost unable to contain his joy and looked as if trying to return to the microphone to speak. Backstage, he got the chance.

Q. Sir, with your great success in this silent movie, are you concerned with the effort to make a transition into talkies?

A. (Jean Dujardin) In America? I’m not American actor. I’m a French actor, and I continue in France and but it’s possible. It’s

A. (Interpreter) If he can make another silent movie in America, he’d like to. He knows he’ll always be a French actor in America so he should find roles that, you know, those kinds of roles.

A. (Jean Dujardin) Thank you.

A. (Interpreter) But he has a few ideas that he wants to develop.

Q. At the end of your acceptance speech, did you perhaps drop the French equivalent of the F word?

A. I said it’s amazing. It’s incredible. It’s unbelievable. Thank you. Ah, yes. I’m sorry.

Q. And I’m wondering where your four legged friend is, Uggie, and how you’re going to celebrate with him?

A. (Jean Dujardin) Uggie? Tonight, Uggie is home in Miami, I think. So but, yes.

A. (Interpreter) He went to bed already.

Q. Hello, Jean. I would like to know what was the process of creating this character and was it any different from the way you created other talking characters?

A. It was not really intellectual, and I’m not an intellectual. No, I watch I watched a lot of movies. Douglas Fairbanks movies, Gene Kelly movies. I had fun pretending to be a movie star in 1920s.

Q. Congratulations.

A. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Mark Bridges took home the award for Best Costume Design at the 84th Academy Awards. ‘The Artist’ is one of this year’s most highly acclaimed films, and the black and white silent movie have surprised movie goers and critics alike with its charm and passion. Bridges thankfully accepted the award and afterwards spoke with the Oscar press corps about the wonderful honor:

Wow, this is thrilling. I want to thank Michel Hazanavicius for making a beautiful film and having me along for the ride, Thomas Langmann for believing in the film and getting the resources together to make it, and Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company for getting it out to the world. I want to thank my wonderful crew and you know, I was just a kid from Niagara Falls who dreamed, ate, and slept movies and so I want to thank the Academy for this honor and for making a lifelong dream come true. Thank you.

Q. Congratulations. What classic Hollywood films in terms of the visual style of the wardrobe, et cetera, specifically what films inspired what you created for The Artist?

A. There’s a great film called ‘Show People’ starring Marion Davies, which was all shot on the back lot of MGM at the end of the ’20s. Great research. We also watched things like ‘It’, ‘Our Dancing Daughters’, ‘City Girl’, ‘Sunrise’, those were sort of emotional touch spots for touchstones for us. So things like that. Not not a lot, but enough to get the flavor and know how things were worn.

Q. Yes, hello. Can you speak to the difficulties of having costumes that were going to be shot in black and white versus color?

A. Well, we actually filmed it in color because there was a chance that the film would at some markets be shown in color.  Luckily, we were able to finally prevail with it in black and white.  You know, it really comes down to different values and I was very concerned about the graphics, whether the actors would separate from the backgrounds that they’re standing in front of. So and once we got the textures down, we knew textures read beautifully, I could tell a story with textures.

Q. We spoke the other night at the Costume Designers Guild. Congratulations. I’m curious, how do you feel tonight after winning the Oscar?

A. I’m very excited as you can imagine. It hasn’t quite sunk in because we’ve just been led from one thing to another, but I’m thrilled; I’m very proud, I’m so happy.  And as I said in my speech, it really is a lifelong dream come true. I spent a great deal of my childhood where the winters are long and movies are a great escape and it has affected me for my whole life and career choice. And I think it’s amazing that I was given the opportunity to do a movie that is a love letter to Hollywood.

Q. You said that you made the costumes larger in the beginning. Was Jean larger in the beginning?

A. No. What I think what Michel said was, you know, once the character George has his fall, he wanted the costumes just a little bigger to reflect that somehow George is less of a man than he was. And so we did that, hopefully, subtly through the tailoring.

Q. Is Jean as great a guy as we think he is?

A. Yes, and then some. He’s an extraordinary person, yes.

Image Courtesy of  The Weinstein Company

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