In the wake of the September 11 attacks , Kiarostami was refused a visa to attend the New York Film Festival . The festival director , Richard Peña , who had invited him said , " It 's a terrible sign of what 's happening in my country today that no one seems to realize or care about the kind of negative signal this sends out to the entire Muslim world " . The Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki boycotted the festival in protest . Kiarostami had been invited by the New York Film Festival , as well as Ohio University and Harvard University
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Abbas Kiarostami