Why did Farhadi not answer these 3 questions? / The strange story of the confession that Asghar Farhadi took from his student

Charso Press: The New Yorker publication on October 31 and with the title “Audit Day; Is Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi stealing ideas? published a detailed report in which several filmmakers claimed that Asghar Farhadi, a famous film director, had stolen ideas from the students of his filmmaking workshops. This report deals with the legal dispute between Asghar Farhadi and Azadeh Masihzadeh over the idea of ​​the movie “Hero” in full detail.

Azadeh Masihzadeh, one of Asghar Farhadi’s former students at Karnameh Institute, made a documentary in Shiraz a few years ago with the title “Two wins, two losses” and this documentary told the same life story of the main character of the movie “Hero”. The production of this documentary dates back to 1996, which has undeniable similarities to the original idea of ​​the movie “Hero”, but with all this, Farhadi has not mentioned anywhere about his influence, adaptation or free perception of it in the making of his latest movie.

The New Yorker’s report is accompanied by a detailed description of the situation, and after reading this report, questions are raised regarding the contradictions in Asghar Farhadi’s professional behavior. These are the parts published in the New Yorker’s controversial report: “In August 2019, in one of the last meetings, Faridah Shafiei, the secretary of the institute (Bammad), told Masihzadeh that Farhadi wanted a large room with a balcony in the main office of the institute. to meet him on the street.

Farhadi’s wife, Parisa Bakhtavar, director of the institute, was also there. Farhadi invited Masihzadeh to sit at a table and then said that he is making a new film called “Hero” whose story takes place in Shiraz. Masihzadeh says that Farhadi complimented her on her Shirazi accent and asked if she would like to act in his film. Masihzadeh says: “Did I ask?” Shall I play?” He said that he doesn’t have acting talent and that he is afraid of hearing his own voice when he watches his own documentary. But he said that he would be very happy to have the position of assistant and maybe he could do research on a place in Shiraz.

He says that he and Farhadi talked about his knowledge of this city and then Shafii put a typed paper on the table. Masihzadeh thought that it must be an official work contract, but it was written on the paper: I, a child, with birth certificate no. It was produced from 2013 to 2019 based on the suggestion and idea of ​​Mr. Asghar Farhadi in his documentary film making workshop.

Shafi’i gave him a new sheet of white paper and told him to transcribe the text and sign it after filling in the blanks. Masihzadeh says that for a moment I felt my breath go away, “I raised my hand and said: “Mr. Farhadi, can we talk about this?” He said: “Sign now and write your national number correctly so that they can get you a plane ticket to Shiraz.” He asked him: “Mr. Farhadi, does the movie Hero have anything to do with my documentary?” He says he said he wrote his script before his film.

When he saw that he still hesitated, he said that he had been teaching all day and was tired, and that he was taking the time of three people. He says: “He kept repeating that it is a simple document between us.” Masihzadeh started transcribing from the text, but his hand was shaking and he kept making mistakes. He says that when he finally finished writing the text and signed it, Shafi’i said to him: “Please get out, Mr. Farhadi is very tired.”

According to the narrative that the New Yorker redefined, many questions are raised. Of course, Asghar Farhadi has claimed that this New Yorker story is not correct, but nothing can hide his lawyer’s statements on 22 Aban 1400.

Asghar Farhadi’s lawyer Kaveh Razvanirad responded to some of the issues raised about the movie “Hero” and in a part of this text that was available to the media, it is stated: “In 2018, Mrs. Masihzadeh again enrolled in Mr. Farhadi’s training courses at Bammad Institute. they say Before making the movie “Hero”, in the presence of two witnesses at Bammad Educational Institute on 15/05/2018, he prepared a text with his handwriting and signature, in which he clearly states that the idea and plan of the documentary film “Two Sar Win, lose twice” belongs to Mr. Farhadi.

The original of this document is at the disposal of Bammad Institute and its certified copy has been submitted to the Cinema House and the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office (fourth branch). It seems that Asgrafarhadi’s signing of Azadeh Masihzadeh is true and cannot be hidden, but the answers to many questions in this section can reveal new aspects of this matter. The questions that were asked to Asghar Farhadi in the court and still remain unanswered.

The first question is, Asghar Farhadi claims that he was not discovered by Masihzadeh about the common event of the documentary “Two Heads, Two Heads Lost” and the movie “Kahreman” that happened in 2011, but this news was almost a year before the beginning of the documentary filmmaking period. It has been widely distributed in the society. If Farhadi’s claim is true and Masihzadeh had no role in discovering the idea of ​​a hero, then what reason did he have to get a confession from his former student in the presence of two witnesses?

The second question is In the workshop organized by Asghar Farhadi, 18 other students were also present, but why was only Masihzadeh’s confession received from all these people?

The third question is Why did Asghar Farhadi get a signature from Masihzadeh after 5 years and before registering the script of Hero? In addition, it is not clearly stated in this declaration who is the proposer and requester of this declaration and whether Masihzadeh intended to make this declaration all at once, considering that 5 years have passed since the formation of the class, or whether this declaration is based on the proposal and Farhadi’s request was received at the institute.

In addition to raising these questions, which, of course, remain unanswered by Asghar Farhadi, it seems that the famous director of Iranian cinema, by taking this affidavit, got himself into a complicated problem and also shows that even he has ideas and plans towards the legal system. Cinema is unknown in Iran. Basically, in Iran’s legal system, the ideas and plans mentioned in the affidavit are not protected by legal and criminal laws related to intellectual property; Because according to Article 1 of the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Authors, Writers and Artists approved in 1348, which states that “what emerges through knowledge and art and with the initiative of creators, regardless of the method used in its expression and creation” It is understood that the external embodiment and emergence of that idea is based on initiatives, arts, researches and positive actions, which makes a work subject to support.

In other words, a work must find an external existence in the form of a shape and form in order to be protected by the law, and it is based on this rule that getting a letter of acknowledgment for the idea of ​​a hero has no basis and legal function for Asghar Farhadi.