Director Panahi ready to return to Iran after Cannes to work on next film
Director Jafar Panahi and cast members Delnaz Najafi, Mariam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, pose during a photocall for the film \"Un simple accident\" (It Was Just an Accident) in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Director Jafar Panahi poses during a photocall for the film \"Un simple accident\" (It Was Just an Accident) in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Director Panahi ready to return to Iran after Cannes to work on next film
CANNES, France - Although he is now free to travel again after a 15-year ban, Iranian director Jafar Panahi said on Wednesday he would be returning immediately to his country after attending the Cannes Film Festival to begin work on his next film.
Panahi was in southern France for the premiere of his latest film "It Was Just An Accident," which is competing against 21 other films for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or.
The 64-year-old was banned from making films or travelling abroad for 20 years in 2010, after he was convicted of "propaganda against the system". That sentence was recently revoked, allowing him to travel again for the first time in 15 years.
Despite the travel ban and multiple stints in jail, Panahi said that making films did not put him in any more danger than the actions of other Iranians.
"Every day, there is a restriction about the veil, every day there is an issue, but we see women going out unveiled. Isn't that dangerous?" said Panahi.
"As soon as the festival ends, the next evening I will be in Tehran," said the winner of several international awards, including the 2015 Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear for his film "Taxi".
"I need to go think about what my next film will be."
While he is also allowed to film again, Panahi said that the way he makes movies has not changed, as he does not follow the government's rules, such as submitting his script for approval.
"It Was Just An Accident" follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life.
Panahi said that being in jail influenced the film but he himself did not experience all the stories recounted in it.
"When you imprison an artist, you're giving them material, you're handing them new ideas. You're opening up a whole new world to them," said the director.
The director, who was last at Cannes in person in 2003, when "Crimson Gold" was screened in the Un Certain Regard category, was visibly emotional, as was his cast, at Tuesday's premiere.
"The excitement of being able to show the conditions we're working in, the circumstances under which we struggle, of being able to show so many things and have others understand-especially people who are not from the Middle East - was truly meaningful and compelling for us," said actor Mariam Afshari. REUTERS
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