Iranian director decries Hollywood portrayal of foreign countries, calls American democracy 'a lie'

Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi called out Hollywood's depiction of Iran and other foreign countries at the Rio Film Festival in Brazil on Friday, claiming it is a "lie" to call America a "democracy."While promoting his film "Parallel Tales," Farhadi was asked about the 2012 movie "Argo" winning Best Picture just one year after his film "A Separation" won Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. "Argo," directed by Ben Affleck, stars Affleck as CIA operative Tony Mendez in a loose adaptation of Mendez's memoir on the rescue of six U.S.diplomats from Iran by pretending to film a science-fiction movie in the nation.BEN AFFLECK REJECTS 'PROPAGANDA' OPPOSING AI, INSISTS EMERGING TECHNOLOGY WILL HELP FILMMAKERSFilmmaker Asghar Farhadi contributed Ben Affleck's film "Argo." (Marko Djurica/Reuters; Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)Farhadi described the film as a "Hollywood thing" and suggested it was "not deep" based on its plot involving a "White guy" saving others, though Mendez in real life was of Mexican descent."They make these movies for money; it’s a business," Farhadi said, according to Variety.

"And in these films it’s always a [W]hite guy from the United States saving others.My question is: Why? Why does an American go to Cuba or Iran to save people? People understand they can save themselves.

Who asked you to come and save us?"Farhadi also accused "Argo," which took place after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, of portraying Iran "like you're in hell."AMERICAN WHO FLED IRAN SAYS CITIZENS 'DESPERATE' FOR FREEDOM, PRAYING FOR ISLAMIC REGIME TO FALLFarhadi accused Affleck of depicting Iran like "hell" in his film "Argo." (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)"The problem with these kinds of films in Hollywood [and] some people in the United States [is that] they look at the world from up to down," Farhadi said."Someday you should ask them: Why do you feel you’re up and we’re down? I don’t understand why they have this ego that they’re up."Farhadi also denied A...