The Iranian A Separation is the "best foreign film," the Pakistani Saving Face "the best short documentary." Two firsts for both: the first Iranian film to win a statuette in that category, the short is the first ever Pakistani film to be nominated for an Oscar.

Hollywood (AsiaNews) - This year the Academy Awards have managed to excite, and it has done so through the only two Asian films in competition: The Iranian "A Separation" for best foreign film, and Pakistan's "Saving Face" Best Short Documentary. " The first tells the story of a couple getting a visa to emigrate, but who decide  to divorce when the husband refuses to follow his wife and daughter out of Iran, in order to look after his sick father. The second is a trip to Pakistan among the victims disfigured by acid attacks, and their struggle for justice. For the rest, the Oscars 2012 will not be remembered for its originality or twists. The French film The Artist won the pre-announced five statuettes, including "Best Film", "Best Actor" and "Best Director". The veteran Meryl Streep won her third Oscar for "Best Actress" for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

Already awarded a Golden Bear and Silver Bear for the actors in Berlin, A Separation is a dramatic and intense film, which paints a non-trivial fresco of contemporary Iranian society. In which it is women (mothers and daughters, strong and tragic) who attempt to find solutions to everyday events - the drama of a divorce, the difficulty of raising a teenage daughter; the care of a sick father - in a world that certainly does not make things easy for them. Clutching the statuette, the director Asghar Farhadi (discovered by the international audience in 2009 with About Elly) has "proudly" dedicated the film to "the people of my country," saying he was certain that "many Iranians who are watching, are happy not only because an Iranian film has won a major award, but because we celebrated a wonderful culture, too long hidden under the dust of politics ".

The prize awarded to the Pakistani Saving Face is just as important. Directed by Daniel Junge and produced by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy the documentary follows the return to Pakistan of the plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad (British of Pakistani origin) to help the victims of acid attacks and offer reconstructive plastic surgery practice for survivors . Among these, Saving Face tells the story of a woman struggling for years to see her attackers finally arrested.

Both films represent two "firsts" for the countries. A Separation is the first Iranian film to win a statuette in the category "Best Foreign Film". In 1997, Children of Heaven - the first Iranian film ever to be nominated for an Oscar - was beaten by Italian Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni. Saving Face is the first Pakistani film to be nominated for an Academy Award.

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