Ava DuVernay's Oscars Dress Doubled As A Subtle Statement Against The Travel Ban

"A small sign of solidarity," the director wrote on Twitter.

Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay showed up to this year's Oscars looking like the queen of directing she certainly is.

Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

DuVernay was nominated for 13th in the category for Best Documentary, but lost out this time around to O.J.: Made in America.

But there was something special about the dress other than the woman wearing it: According to a tweet from DuVernay, she made the choice to wear a dress "by a designer from a majority Muslim country," Mohammed Ashi, as a "small sign of solidarity."

Ava DuVernay @ava

A small sign of solidarity. I chose to wear a gown by a designer from a majority Muslim country. Thanks to… https://t.co/yvnzGsyJMZ

Mon Feb 27 01:24:48 UTC+0000 2017

It was one of several subtle political moments sprinkled through Oscars night — including a scattering of ACLU and Planned Parenthood pins.

Christopher Polk / Getty Images, Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

The Oscars took place only a few weeks after President Trump's travel ban, which affected immigration from the Muslim-majority countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

DuVernay has expressed her opposition to many of Trump's policies before, both on social media and in interviews.

Ava DuVernay @ava

Live footage of my attitude this week over Trump's disdain for transgender folks, Native folks, incarcerated folks.

10:59 PM - 23 Feb 2017

"My answer is to resist," she told Vanity Fair in January about his philosophy in Trump's America.

Alberto E. Rodriguez

The same night as DuVernay's appearance in her dress, Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman took home the award for Best Foreign Language Film — accompanied by a speech calling out Trump's "inhumane law."

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Farhadi decided not to attend this year's awards out of solidarity with those affected by the ban.

"I'm sorry I'm not with you tonight," Farhadi wrote in a statement delivered at the Oscars by Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American engineer and the first female participant in NASA's Spaceflight program. "My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations whom have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US. Dividing the world into the 'us' and 'our enemies' categories creates fear — a deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression. Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever."

DuVernay has also expressed her support of Farhadi in the past, sharing an excerpt from the speech he made when his film, A Separation, won Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.

Ava DuVernay @ava

Amplifying words of one of my favorite filmmakers, Asghar Farhadi, who like too many others will be turned away fro… https://t.co/3X4mOlHUrV

05:01 PM - 28 Jan 2017