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Express Tribune
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
From prison cell to Cannes
Jafar Panahi never set out to be a political filmmaker. "In my definition, a political filmmaker defends an ideology where the good follow it and the bad oppose it," the Iranian director says. "In my films, even those who behave badly are shaped by the system, not personal choice," he tells DW. But for more than a decade, Panahi has had little choice. Following his support for the opposition Green Movement protests, the director of The White Balloon and The Circle, was handed a 20-year ban on filmmaking and international travel in 2010. That didn't stop him. Over the years, he found new ways to shoot, edit, and smuggle out his films — from turning his living room into a film set (This Is Not a Film) to using a car as a mobile studio (in Taxi, which won the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlinale). Last week, Panahi stepped back into the spotlight — not through smuggled footage or video calls, but in person. For the first time in over two decades, the now 64-year-old filmmaker returned to the Cannes Film Festival to present his latest feature, It Was Just an Accident, premiering in competition to an emotional 8-minute standing ovation. Prison to the Palais The road to Cannes has been anything but smooth. Panahi was arrested again in July 2022 and detained in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. After almost seven months and a hunger strike, he was released in February 2023. In a stunning legal victory, Iran's Supreme Court overturned his original 2010 sentence. Panahi was legally free, but artistically still bound by a system he refuses to submit to. "To make a film in the official way in Iran, you have to submit your script to the Islamic Guidance Ministry for approval," he tells DW. "This is something I cannot do. I made another clandestine film. Again." That film, It Was Just An Accident, may be Panahi's most direct confrontation yet with state violence and repression. Shot in secret and featuring unveiled female characters in defiance of Iran's hijab law, the film tells the story of a group of ex-prisoners who believe they've found the man who tortured them — and must decide whether to exact revenge. The taut, 24-hour drama unfolds like a psychological thriller. Stylistically, It Was Just An Accident is a sharp break from the more contained, and largely self-reflexive works Panahi made while under his official state ban, but the plot remains strongly autobiographical. Thriller that cuts deep The film opens with a banal tragedy — a man accidentally kills a dog with his car - and spirals into a slow-burning reckoning with state-sanctioned cruelty. Vahid (Valid Mobasseri), a mechanic who is asked to repair the damaged car, thinks he recognises the owner as Eghbal, aka Peg-Leg, his former torturer. He kidnaps him, planning to bury him alive in the desert. But he can't be sure he's got the right man, because he was blindfolded during his internment. "They kept us blindfolded, during interrogation or when we left our cells," Panahi recalls of his time in prison. "Only in the toilet could you remove the blindfold." Seeking reassurance, the mechanic reaches out to fellow prisoners for confirmation. Soon Vahid's van is packed with victims seeking revenge on the man who abused them for nothing more than voicing opposition to the authorities. There's a bride (Hadis Pakbaten) who abandons her wedding, together with her wedding photographer and former inmate Shiva (Maryam Afshari), to go after the man who raped and tortured her. There's Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr), a man so traumatised and so furious by his experience he doesn't care if the man they've caught is the right guy; he just wants vengeance. "Even dead, they're a scourge on humanity," he says of all the intelligence officers serving under the regime. As the group debates vengeance vs non-violence, alongside brutal descriptions of the beatings and torture they endured, Panahi inserts sly moments of humour and touches of the absurd. The hostage-takers cross paths with Eghbal's family, including his heavily pregnant wife, and suddenly find themselves rushing her to the hospital to give birth. Afterwards, as is tradition in Iran, Vahid heads to a bakery to buy everyone pastries. "All these characters that you see in this film were inspired by conversations that I had in prison, by stories people told me about the violence and the brutality of the Iranian government, violence that has been ongoing for more than four decades now," says Panahi. "In a way, I'm not the one who made this film. It's the Islamic Republic that made this film, because they put me in prison. Maybe if they want to stop us being so subversive, they should stop putting us in jail." No escape, no exile Despite a career defined by resistance, Panahi insists he's simply doing the only thing he knows how. "During my 20-year ban, even my closest friends had given up hope that I would ever make films again," he said at the Cannes press conference for It Was Just An Accident. "But people who know me know I can't change a lightbulb. I don't know how to do anything except make films". While many Iranian filmmakers have fled into exile - including Panahi's close friend Mohammad Rasoulof, director of the Oscar-nominated The Seed of the Sacred Fig, who now lives in Berlin — Panahi says he has no plans to join them. "I'm completely incapable of adjusting to another society," he says. "I had to be in Paris for three and a half months for post-production, and I thought I was going to die." In Iran, he explained, filmmaking is a communal act of improvisation and trust. "At 2AM I can call a colleague and say: 'That shot should be longer.' And he'll come join me and we'll work all night. In Europe, you can't work like this. I don't belong." So, even after his Cannes triumph, Panahi will return home. "As soon as I finish my work here, I will go back to Iran the next day. And I will ask myself: What's my next film going to be?"
Arab Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Iranian revenge drama 'It Was Just an Accident' awarded Palme d'Or
CANNES, France, May 25, (AP): Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his revenge thriller "It Was Just an Accident," handing the festival's top prize to a director who had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years. Cate Blanchett presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. For a decade and a half, he has made films clandestinely in his native country, including one film ("This Is Not a Film") made in his living room, and another ("Taxi") set in a car. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker, who immediately threw up his arms and leaned back in his seat in disbelief before applauding his collaborators and the audience around him. On stage, Panahi was cheered by Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, who in 2010 in Cannes held up Panahi's name to honor the director when he was under house arrest. On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was freedom in his country. "Let us join forces,' said Panahi. "No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.' The win for "It Was Just an Accident' extended an unprecedented streak: The indie distributor Neon has now backed the last six Palme d'Or winners. The latest triumph for Neon, which acquired "It Was Just an Accident' for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for "Parasite,' "Titane,' "Triangle of Sadness,' "Anatomy of a Fall' and "Anora.' All those films were Oscar contenders and two, "Parasite' and "Anora,' won best picture. Last year, filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran to attend the premiere of his film in Cannes and resettle in Germany. Panahi, though, has said that unlike his friend Rasoulof, life in exile isn't for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday. "It Was Just an Accident' was inspired by Panahi's experience in prison. In the film, a group of former prisoners encounter the man who terrorized them in jail, and weigh whether or not to kill him. Panahi was jailed in Tehran's Evin Prison after going there to inquire about the then-jailed Rasoulof. Panahi was released in 2023 after going on a hunger strike. In 2009, he was banned from traveling out of Iran after attending the funeral of a student killed in the Green Movement protests. Through those years, Panahi continued to make films illegally in Iran, without a permit, and had his films smuggled to festivals on USB drives. His travel ban was lifted after his release in 2023. "The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today,' Binoche told reporters after the ceremony. "Art will always win. What is human will always win.' The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck southeastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes. "A day without electricity," sighed John C. Reilly, who sang an English-language "La Vie En Rose' at the ceremony. The festival's films, he said, supplied "all the needed electricity." The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier's Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value,' his lauded follow-up to "The Worst Person in the World.' Some had expected "Sentimental Value' to win the Palme, but Trier - whose film reunites him with actor Renate Reinsve - still took a major prize. "We live in a time of tremendous excess and saturation of images. Moving images are being thrown at us all the time," said Trier. "And I want to give homage to the Cannes Film Festival for being a place where the big cinematic image, which is the foundation of the moving image, the free image, the image that we take time to look at, the image where we can identify with each other in contemplation and empathy, to be cherished in this place in such a way is very important in this moment.' Kleber Mendonça Filho's Brazilian political thriller "The Secret Agent" won two big awards: best director for Filho and best actor for Wagner Moura. Though Cannes juries are generally urged to spread awards around, the two for "The Secret Agent' showed the jury's strong feelings for it. Asked about the two prizes, juror Jeremy Strong explained, simply, "That was our wish.' The wins, which followed the international film Oscar victory for Walter Salles' "I'm Still Here' in March, gave Brazil more to celebrate. On X, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the awards "show that our country's cinema is second to none.' The jury prize was split between two films: Óliver Laxe's desert road trip "Sirât " and Mascha Schilinski's German, generation-spanning drama "Sound of Falling.' Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for "The Little Sister,' Hafsia Herzi's French coming-of-age drama. The Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, who are two-time Palme d'Or winners, won best screenplay for their latest drama, "Young Mothers.' It's their ninth prize in Cannes. The festival's award for best first film, the Camera d'Or, went to Hasan Hadi for "The President's Cake,' making it the first Iraqi film to win an award at the festival. Saturday's ceremony brought to a close the 78th Cannes Film Festival where geopolitics cast a long shadow, both on screen and off. Shortly before the French Riviera extravaganza, which is also the world's largest movie market, U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 100% tariff on movies made overseas. Most filmmakers responded with a shrug, calling the plan illogical. "Can you hold up the movie in customs? It doesn't ship that way,' said Wes Anderson, who premiered his latest, "The Phoenician Scheme' at the festival. At the opening ceremony, honorary Palme d'Or recipient Robert De Niro called Trump "America's philistine president.' Other top American films in Cannes included Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest' (which pulled Lee away from his New York Knicks but not out of their blue and orange color), the Christopher McQuarrie-Tom Cruise actioner "Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning," and Ari Aster's "Eddington,' which found a divisive reaction. Panahi's win put him in rare company. He's now won Cannes' Palme d'Or, Venice's Golden Lion (for "The Circle'), and Berlin's Golden Bear (for "Taxi'). Only three other filmmakers have done that: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman. Addressing reporters after his win, Panahi spoke about filmmakers and artists always being able to find a way, "even in complicated situations.' "They must realize that no powers that be can halt such people in their tracks,' said Panahi. "You have this power.'
Mint
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Cannes awards Palme d'Or to Iranian revenge drama ‘It Was Just an Accident'
Cannes, May 25 (AP) Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his revenge thriller 'It Was Just an Accident,' handing the festival's top prize to a director who had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years. Cate Blanchett on Saturday presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. For a decade and a half, he has made films clandestinely in his native country, including one film ('This Is Not a Film') made in his living room, and another ('Taxi') set in a car. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker, who immediately threw up his arms and leaned back in his seat in disbelief before applauding his collaborators and the audience around him. On stage, Panahi was cheered by Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, who in 2010 in Cannes held up Panahi's name to honour the director when he was under house arrest. Panahi said what mattered most was freedom in his country. 'Let us join forces,' said Panahi. 'No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.' The win for 'It Was Just an Accident' extended an unprecedented streak: The indie distributor Neon has now backed the last six Palme d'Or winners. The latest triumph for Neon, which acquired 'It Was Just an Accident' for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for 'Parasite', 'Titane', 'Triangle of Sadness', 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Anora'. All those films were Oscar contenders and two, 'Parasite' and 'Anora', won best picture. Last year, filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran to attend the premiere of his film in Cannes and resettle in Germany. Panahi, though, has said that unlike his friend Rasoulof, life in exile isn't for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday. 'It Was Just an Accident' was inspired by Panahi's experience in prison. In the film, a group of former prisoners encounter the man who terrorised them in jail, and weigh whether or not to kill him. Panahi was jailed in Tehran's Evin Prison after going there to inquire about the then-jailed Rasoulof. Panahi was released in 2023 after going on a hunger strike. In 2009, he was banned from traveling out of Iran after attending the funeral of a student killed in the Green Movement protests. Through those years, Panahi continued to make films illegally in Iran, without a permit, and had his films smuggled to festivals on USB drives. His travel ban was lifted after his release in 2023. 'The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today,' Binoche told reporters after the ceremony. 'Art will always win. What is human will always win.' The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck southeastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes. 'A day without electricity,' sighed John C Reilly, who sang an English-language 'La Vie En Rose' at the ceremony. The festival's films, he said, supplied 'all the needed electricity.' The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier's Norwegian family drama 'Sentimental Value', his lauded follow-up to 'The Worst Person in the World'. Some had expected 'Sentimental Value' to win the Palme, but Trier — whose film reunites him with actor Renate Reinsve — still took a major prize. 'We live in a time of tremendous excess and saturation of images. Moving images are being thrown at us all the time,' said Trier. 'And I want to give homage to the Cannes Film Festival for being a place where the big cinematic image, which is the foundation of the moving image, the free image, the image that we take time to look at, the image where we can identify with each other in contemplation and empathy, to be cherished in this place in such a way is very important in this moment.' Kleber Mendonça Filho's Brazilian political thriller 'The Secret Agent' won two big awards: best director for Filho and best actor for Wagner Moura. Though Cannes juries are generally urged to spread awards around, the two for 'The Secret Agent' showed the jury's strong feelings for it. Asked about the two prizes, juror Jeremy Strong explained, simply, 'That was our wish.' The wins, which followed the international film Oscar victory for Walter Salles' 'I'm Still Here' in March, gave Brazil more to celebrate. On X, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the awards 'show that our country's cinema is second to none.' The jury prize was split between two films: Oliver Laxe's desert road trip 'Sirat" and Mascha Schilinski's German, generation-spanning drama 'Sound of Falling'. Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for 'The Little Sister', Hafsia Herzi's French coming-of-age drama. The Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, who are two-time Palme d'Or winners, won best screenplay for their latest drama, 'Young Mothers.' Its their ninth prize in Cannes. The festival's award for best first film, the Camera d'Or, went to Hasan Hadi for 'The President's Cake,' making it the first Iraqi film to win an award at the festival. (AP) RB
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Cannes awards Palme d'Or to Iranian revenge drama It Was Just an Accident
Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident, handing the festival's top prize to a director who had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years. Cate Blanchett presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. For a decade and a half, he has made films clandestinely in his native country, including one film (This Is Not a Film) made in his living room, and another (Taxi) set in a car. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker, who immediately threw up his arms and leaned back in his seat in disbelief before applauding his collaborators and the audience around him. On stage, Panahi was cheered by Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, who in 2010 in Cannes held up Panahi's name to honor the director when he was under house arrest. On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was freedom in his country. 'Let us join forces,' said Panahi. 'No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.' Also Read | The Mastermind Cannes' review: Kelly Reichardt's film is about a sloppy robber who is haunted by others' perceptions of his failure The win for It Was Just an Accident extended an unprecedented streak: The indie distributor Neon has now backed the last six Palme d'Or winners. The latest triumph for Neon, which acquired It Was Just an Accident for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall and Anora. Last year, filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran to attend the premiere of his film in Cannes and resettle in Germany. Panahi, though, has said that unlike his friend Rasoulof, life in exile isn't for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday. It Was Just an Accident was inspired by Panahi's experience in prison. In the film, a group of former prisoners encounter the man who terrorized them in jail, and weigh whether or not to kill him. Panahi was jailed in Tehran's Evin Prison after going there to inquire about the then-jailed Rasoulof. Panahi was released in 2023 after going on a hunger strike. In 2009, he was banned from traveling out of Iran after attending the funeral of a student killed in the Green Movement protests. Through those years, Panahi continued to make films illegally in Iran, without a permit, and had his films smuggled to festivals on USB drives. His travel ban was lifted after his release in 2023. 'The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today,' Binoche told reporters after the ceremony. 'Art will always win. What is human will always win.' The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck southeastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes. 'A day without electricity,' sighed John C. Reilly, who sang an English-language 'La Vie En Rose' at the ceremony. The festival's films, he said, supplied 'all the needed electricity.' Other winners at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier's Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value, his lauded follow-up to The Worst Person in the World. Some had expected Sentimental Value to win the Palme, but Trier — whose film reunites him with actor Renate Reinsve — still took a major prize. 'We live in a time of tremendous excess and saturation of images. Moving images are being thrown at us all the time,' said Trier. 'And I want to give homage to the Cannes Film Festival for being a place where the big cinematic image, which is the foundation of the moving image, the free image, the image that we take time to look at, the image where we can identify with each other in contemplation and empathy, to be cherished in this place in such a way is very important in this moment.' Kleber Mendonça Filho's Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent won two big awards: best director for Filho and best actor for Wagner Moura. Though Cannes juries are generally urged to spread awards around, the two for The Secret Agent showed the jury's strong feelings for it. Asked about the two prizes, juror Jeremy Strong explained, simply, 'That was our wish.' The wins, which followed the international film Oscar victory for Walter Salles' I'm Still Here in March, gave Brazil more to celebrate. On X, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the awards 'show that our country's cinema is second to none.' The jury prize was split between two films: Óliver Laxe's desert road trip Sirât and Mascha Schilinski's German, generation-spanning drama Sound of Falling. Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister, Hafsia Herzi's French coming-of-age drama. The Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, who are two-time Palme d'Or winners, won best screenplay for their latest drama, Young Mothers. Its their ninth prize in Cannes. The festival's award for best first film, the Camera d'Or, went to Hasan Hadi for The President's Cake, making it the first Iraqi film to win an award at the festival. Also Read | Cannes 2025: Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound is a timely, trenchant testament to our times What else shaped Cannes this year Saturday's ceremony brought to a close a 78th Cannes Film Festival where geopolitics cast a long shadow, both on screen and off. Shortly before the French Riviera extravaganza, which is also the world's largest movie market, U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 100% tariff on movies made overseas. Most filmmakers responded with a shrug, calling the plan illogical. 'Can you hold up the movie in customs? It doesn't ship that way,' said Wes Anderson, who premiered his latest, The Phoenician Scheme at the festival. At the opening ceremony, honorary Palme d'Or recipient Robert De Niro called Trump 'America's philistine president.' Other top American films in Cannes included Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest (which pulled Lee away from his New York Knicks but not out of their blue and orange color), the Christopher McQuarrie-Tom Cruise actioner Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning, and Ari Aster's Eddington, which found a divisive reaction. Panahi's win put him in rare company. He's now won Cannes' Palme d'Or, Venice's Golden Lion (for The Circle) and Berlin's Golden Bear (for Taxi). Only three other filmmakers have done that: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman. Addressing reporters after his win, Panahi spoke about filmmakers and artists always being able to find a way, 'even in complicated situations.' 'They must realize that no powers that be can halt such people in their tracks,' said Panahi. 'You have this power.'
Korea Herald
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Cannes awards Palme d'Or to Iranian revenge drama 'It Was Just an Accident'
Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his revenge thriller 'It Was Just an Accident," handing the festival's top prize to a director who had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years. Cate Blanchett presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. For a decade and a half, he has made films clandestinely in his native country, including one film ("This Is Not a Film") made in his living room, and another ("Taxi") set in a car. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker, who immediately threw up his arms and leaned back in his seat in disbelief before applauding his collaborators and the audience around him. On stage, Panahi was cheered by Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, who in 2010 in Cannes held up Panahi's name to honor the director when he was under house arrest. On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was freedom in his country. 'Let us join forces,' said Panahi. 'No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.' The win for 'It Was Just an Accident' extended an unprecedented streak: The indie distributor Neon has now backed the last six Palme d'Or winners. The latest triumph for Neon, which acquired 'It Was Just an Accident' for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for 'Parasite,' 'Titane,' 'Triangle of Sadness,' 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Anora.' All those films were Oscar contenders and two, 'Parasite' and 'Anora,' won best picture. Last year, filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran to attend the premiere of his film in Cannes and resettle in Germany. Panahi, though, has said that unlike his friend Rasoulof, life in exile isn't for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday. 'It Was Just an Accident' was inspired by Panahi's experience in prison. In the film, a group of former prisoners encounter the man who terrorized them in jail, and weigh whether or not to kill him. Panahi was jailed in Tehran's Evin Prison after going there to inquire about the then-jailed Rasoulof. Panahi was released in 2023 after going on a hunger strike. In 2009, he was banned from traveling out of Iran after attending the funeral of a student killed in the Green Movement protests. Through those years, Panahi continued to make films illegally in Iran, without a permit, and had his films smuggled to festivals on USB drives. His travel ban was lifted after his release in 2023. 'The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today,' Binoche told reporters after the ceremony. 'Art will always win. What is human will always win.' The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck southeastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes. 'A day without electricity," sighed John C. Reilly, who sang an English-language 'La Vie En Rose' at the ceremony. The festival's films, he said, supplied 'all the needed electricity." The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier's Norwegian family drama 'Sentimental Value,' his lauded follow-up to 'The Worst Person in the World.' Some had expected 'Sentimental Value' to win the Palme, but Trier — whose film reunites him with actor Renate Reinsve — still took a major prize. 'We live in a time of tremendous excess and saturation of images. Moving images are being thrown at us all the time," said Trier. "And I want to give homage to the Cannes Film Festival for being a place where the big cinematic image, which is the foundation of the moving image, the free image, the image that we take time to look at, the image where we can identify with each other in contemplation and empathy, to be cherished in this place in such a way is very important in this moment.' Kleber Mendonca Filho's Brazilian political thriller 'The Secret Agent" won two big awards: best director for Filho and best actor for Wagner Moura. Though Cannes juries are generally urged to spread awards around, the two for 'The Secret Agent' showed the jury's strong feelings for it. Asked about the two prizes, juror Jeremy Strong explained, simply, 'That was our wish.' The wins, which followed the international film Oscar victory for Walter Salles' 'I'm Still Here' in March, gave Brazil more to celebrate. On social platform X, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said the awards 'show that our country's cinema is second to none.' The jury prize was split between two films: Oliver Laxe's desert road trip "Sirat" and Mascha Schilinski's German, generation-spanning drama 'Sound of Falling.' Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for 'The Little Sister,' Hafsia Herzi's French coming-of-age drama. The Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, who are two-time Palme d'Or winners, won best screenplay for their latest drama, 'Young Mothers.' It's their ninth prize in Cannes. The festival's award for best first film, the Camera d'Or, went to Hasan Hadi for 'The President's Cake,' making it the first Iraqi film to win an award at the festival. Saturday's ceremony brought to a close the 78th Cannes Film Festival where geopolitics cast a long shadow, both on screen and off. Shortly before the French Riviera extravaganza, which is also the world's largest movie market, US President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 100 percent tariff on movies made overseas. Most filmmakers responded with a shrug, calling the plan illogical. 'Can you hold up the movie in customs? It doesn't ship that way,' said Wes Anderson, who premiered his latest, 'The Phoenician Scheme' at the festival. At the opening ceremony, honorary Palme d'Or recipient Robert De Niro called Trump 'America's philistine president.' Other top American films in Cannes included Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' (which pulled Lee away from his New York Knicks but not out of their blue and orange color), the Christopher McQuarrie-Tom Cruise actioner 'Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning," and Ari Aster's 'Eddington,' which found a divisive reaction. Panahi's win put him in rare company. He's now won Cannes' Palme d'Or, Venice's Golden Lion (for 'The Circle') and Berlin's Golden Bear (for 'Taxi'). Only three other filmmakers have done that: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman. Addressing reporters after his win, Panahi spoke about filmmakers and artists always being able to find a way, 'even in complicated situations.' 'They must realize that no powers that be can halt such people in their tracks,' said Panahi. 'You have this power.'
