Tehran Regime Offended by Pick of 'Anti-Iranian Movie' at Oscars

Iranian media had a visceral reaction to Ben Affleck’s movie Argo, about the rescue of State Department employees during the Islamic Revolution, winning Best Picture at the Oscars last night.

“In the era that politicization in Hollywood was very strong, and every awards and festivals in Hollywood had paid much attention to the anti-Iranian movie ‘Argo’, the 85^th Academy Awards ceremony, unveiled the bare politicization in Hollywood,” Mehr News Agency reported.

Noting that “most movie critics” picked Lincoln as the best film of the year, Mehr said the choice of Argo “revealed that Hollywood insiders are sacrificing quality and artistic cinema to political slogans and distortions.”

The Iranian regime mouthpiece claimed Michelle Obama’s presentation of the Best Picture Oscar proves Argo was a political choice.

“Hollywood has been an instrument for the US politicians to use it for their political purposes, not based on reality, but one-sided and distorted, to present to the world,” Mehr wrote. “Interestingly, in the current Academy Awards ceremony, presence of Michelle Obama was even surprising for the audience. One of official Hollywood reporters for the Oscar ceremony considered the attendance by President Obama’s wife to give the award for the best picture as ‘unexpected’ and very ‘surprising’.”

“This ‘unexpected’ and ‘surprising’ move by the US media and Hollywood activists showed the bare Hollywood scandals and politicization of the 85^th Academy Awards ceremony.”