Busan International Film Festival to honour Iranian director Jafar Panahi
The 30th Busan International Film Festival has honoured Iranian director Jafar Panahi with 'Asian Filmmaker of the Year', an award given to a filmmaker or organisation that has made a profound impact on the advancement of Asian cinema and culture.
A central figure in Iran's New Wave cinema, Panahi is widely respected for his fearless portrayal of life under political and social repression. Despite facing repeated arrests, travel bans and an official prohibition on filmmaking, he has continued to produce films covertly, courageously submitting them to international festivals. His works explore themes of freedom and resistance, offering a countercultural lens on Iranian society and earning global recognition for their emotional depth and artistic bravery.
Panahi's career achievements are marked by top honours from the world's most prestigious film festivals. In 2025, he won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident, adding to his earlier wins of the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2002), the Golden Bear at Berlin for Taxi (2015) and the Prix du Scénario at Cannes for 3 FACES (2018). His debut feature White Balloon (1995) had already won the Prix de la Caméra d'Or at Cannes, and The Mirror (1997) earned him the Golden Leopard at Locarno.
Accepting the award, Panahi said: 'At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create.'
The award will be formally presented during the festival's Opening Ceremony on September 17 at the Busan Cinema Centre. The festival itself will run from September 17 to 26 across multiple venues in Busan, South Korea.
Born in 1960, Panahi has become an enduring symbol of artistic resistance. His body of work not only reflects the complexities of life in contemporary Iran but also underscores cinema's power to transcend barriers and give voice to the silenced.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
10 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt shares glimpses of her lovely London vacation
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt shared a sneak-peek into her London holiday, where she enjoyed the clouds, some puzzles and a burger. Alia took to her Instagram stories, where she shared a photo collage. The collage featured pictures of the cloud, puzzles she solves with daughter Raha and a holiday treat — burgers, the actress gorged on. For the caption, the actress simply wrote: 'Good Vibes Only' along with a cloud, puzzle and burger emoji. On the professional front, the actress will next be seen in 'Alpha' along with Sharvari. The two will be seen playing super agents. The film is directed by Shiv Rawail and will release in the big Christmas Holiday weekend of 2025. 'Alpha' will mark the seventh film in Yash Raj Films' expansive spy universe. This universe began with the 'Tiger' franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, starting with 'Ek Tha Tiger' and followed by 'Tiger Zinda Hai.' The saga continued with 'War,' 'Pathaan,' and 'Tiger 3.' Upcoming films in the franchise include 'War 2,' directed by Ayan Mukerji, 'Pathaan 2,' and 'Tiger vs. Pathaan.' In other news, Alia's 'Difficult Daughters' among others was announced by Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The line-up includes 'Difficult Daughters,' directed by Soni Razdan, which is being produced by Alia Bhatt and her sister Shaheen Bhatt, along with veteran Indian indie producer Alan McAlex (Santosh). As per Kani Kusruti, who starred in Cannes Palme d'Or winning film 'All We Imagine As Light,' is teaming with the director of that film, Payal Kapadia, to produce 'The Last Of Them Plagues,' directed by Kunjila Mascillamani. Kusruti attended BIFF last year as a jury member for the New Currents competition. The line-up also includes several other filmmakers with ties to BIFF, including Indian director Pradip Kurbah, recipient of the 2019 Jiseok Award, with new project Moon; Bangladeshi filmmaker Biplob Sarkar, previously invited to BIFF New Currents and returning with 'The Magical Men.' It also includes Malaysia's Lau Kok Rui from the BIFF 2022 Asian Film Academy, who is presenting Wake Me up When the Mourning Ends, with Soi Cheang, Stefano Centini and Wong Kew Soon on board as producers, reports The line-up also features five Chinese-language projects, with three from Taiwan focusing on female protagonists. Japan is represented by three projects from established directors Shiraishi Kazuya, Fujita Naoya and Zhang Yaoyuan, with stories revolving around the realities of foreign laborers, a reclusive woman's struggle for identity, and a multifaceted view of what Japanese youth face today. Meanwhile, Alia lavished praise on debutant Ahaan Panday, actress Aneet Padda and Mohit Suri after their recently released film 'Saiyaara' opened to a great response. Alia took to her Instagram, and shared a picture of Ahaan, Aneet and Mohit Suri. Mohit and Alia are first cousins. Mohit's mother, Heena, is the sister of Mahesh Bhatt, who is Alia's father. Mohit is a generation older than Alia. While Mohit's directorial debut 'Zeher' was released in 2005, Alia made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with 'Student of the Year'. Indo-Asian News Service
Filipino Times
12 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Daniel Padilla wins outstanding Asian Star at 2025 Seoul Drama Awards
Kapamilya actor Daniel Padilla has won the Outstanding Asian Star award at the 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards for his portrayal of Andres Malvar, also known as Wolf, in the action-drama series Incognito. The announcement was made on Friday, through the official Instagram account of ASAP Natin 'To, which congratulated Padilla for bringing pride to the country. 'Big congratulations to Daniel Padilla for earning global recognition as the Philippines' Outstanding Asian Star at the 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards for his performance in Incognito! Your talent continues to shine on the world stage — we're proud of you, DJ!' read the caption. This is Padilla's first win and second nomination in the prestigious award-giving body. He was previously nominated in 2023 for his role in the romantic-comedy 2 Good 2 Be True, alongside former on-screen and real-life partner Kathryn Bernardo, who was also nominated in the same category. Incognito, which recently concluded its first season after a six-month run, ended on a high note and hinted at a possible second season.
Broadcast Pro
4 days ago
- Broadcast Pro
Busan International Film Festival to honour Iranian director Jafar Panahi
Panahi will receive the award during the opening ceremony of BIFF's 30th edition, which runs September 17–26, 2025. The 30th Busan International Film Festival has honoured Iranian director Jafar Panahi with 'Asian Filmmaker of the Year', an award given to a filmmaker or organisation that has made a profound impact on the advancement of Asian cinema and culture. A central figure in Iran's New Wave cinema, Panahi is widely respected for his fearless portrayal of life under political and social repression. Despite facing repeated arrests, travel bans and an official prohibition on filmmaking, he has continued to produce films covertly, courageously submitting them to international festivals. His works explore themes of freedom and resistance, offering a countercultural lens on Iranian society and earning global recognition for their emotional depth and artistic bravery. Panahi's career achievements are marked by top honours from the world's most prestigious film festivals. In 2025, he won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident, adding to his earlier wins of the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2002), the Golden Bear at Berlin for Taxi (2015) and the Prix du Scénario at Cannes for 3 FACES (2018). His debut feature White Balloon (1995) had already won the Prix de la Caméra d'Or at Cannes, and The Mirror (1997) earned him the Golden Leopard at Locarno. Accepting the award, Panahi said: 'At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create.' The award will be formally presented during the festival's Opening Ceremony on September 17 at the Busan Cinema Centre. The festival itself will run from September 17 to 26 across multiple venues in Busan, South Korea. Born in 1960, Panahi has become an enduring symbol of artistic resistance. His body of work not only reflects the complexities of life in contemporary Iran but also underscores cinema's power to transcend barriers and give voice to the silenced.
