Iranian film 'The Salesman' on Sunday won the Oscar for best foreign language film, with director Asghar Farhadi skipping the Hollywood gala in protest at a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.

In a statement read in his name, Farhadi said he was staying away in solidarity with people "disrespected" by Trump's policy, which is currently on hold after a decision by a federal appeals court.

Astronaut Anousheh Ansari and former NASA scientist Firouz Naderi accepted the award on Farhadi's behalf in a moving speech that garnered applause.

'The Salesman' stars Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti as a couple who gets cast in a local rendition of Arthur Miller's 1949 stage play 'Death of a Salesman.'

This is Farhadi's second Oscar win. He previously took home a trophy for his 2011 drama, 'A Separation.'


Agencies