Latest news with #IranianIndependentFilmmakersAssociation
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jafar Panahi's Cannes Palme d'Or is a ‘Powerful Blow to the Machinery of Repression in the Islamic Republic,' Says ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig' Director Mohammad Rasoulov (EXCLUSIVE)
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulov, who in May 2024 escaped from Iran to Europe after receiving a jail sentence from the country's authorities for making his drama 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' has issued a strong statement underlining the significance of fellow dissident auteur Jafar Panahi scooping the Cannes Palme d'Or on Saturday for his revenge drama 'It Was Just an Accident.' 'This victory is an unexpected and powerful blow to the machinery of repression in the Islamic Republic,' Rasoulov, who lives in Germany, said in a joint statement made on Sunday with producers Kaveh Farnam and Farzad Pak of the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA). More from Variety Oliver Laxe's 'Sirat' Sold by the Match Factory to Slew of International Territories After Cannes Jury Prize Win Jeremy Strong Says Serving on Cannes Jury Was 'Like "Conclave" With Champagne' and Celebrates Palme d'Or Winner 'It Was Just an Accident': It 'Changed Me' Cannes Awards: Jafar Panahi Vindicated With Palme d'Or for 'It Was Just an Accident,' Marking Sixth Consecutive Cannes Win for Neon 'We congratulate Jafar Panahi; his family, who have stood by him with patience and resilience over the years; and the cast and crew of this film, who—through solidarity, trust, and courage—resisted threats and pressure from security forces during its difficult and clandestine production,' the statement added. 'We are heartened to know that the film will soon be screened widely across the world, and we have no doubt that 'It Was Just an Accident' will reach Iranian audiences before long—outside the official cinema networks, through the Internet,' it continued. Panahi, who was able to travel to Cannes to promote his surreptitiously shot film after being incarcerated twice for 'propaganda against the state' and banned from leaving Iran for more than 14 years, made an impassioned plea after being given the Palme. 'I believe this is the moment to call on all people, all Iranians, with all their differing opinions, wherever they are in the world — in Iran or abroad — to allow me to ask for one thing,' Panahi said, speaking through an interpreter. 'Let's set aside all problems, all differences. What's most important now is our country and the freedom of our country,' he added. 'Let us join forces. No-one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do' Panahi continued while sharing the stage with the cast of his film, including several unveiled actresses. 'It Was Just an Accident' is about a group of former political prisoners who kidnap a man whom they believe to be their former interrogator and torturer. The film, which the director in an interview with Variety said was inspired by his experiences in an Iranian prison, has now given Panahi, who is 64, the rare distinction of having won the top prize at all three major European film festivals, after taking Berlin's Golden Bear for 'Taxi' in 2015 and the Golden Lion at Venice for 'The Circle' in 2000. Panahi was not able to attend those festivals due to his ban which was lifted in April 2023. Asked by French news agency AFP if he was worried about returning to Iran after winning the top film prize at Cannes for 'It Was Just an Accident,' he replied: 'Not at all. Tomorrow we are leaving.' Meanwhile, as the dissident director heads back to Iran, Iranian media are largely ignoring Jafar Panahi's momentous Cannes Palme d'Or victory. Though Iran's state news agency IRNA trumpeted Panahi's award with a picture of him and the headline 'The world's largest film festival made history for Iranian cinema,' news that Panahi scooped the Palme did not appear on the websites of the nation's top English-language news outlets, Tehran Times and Iran Daily on Sunday. Instead, the latter published an item announcing that 'The Last of the Whale Shark,' a documentary by Iranian filmmaker Ramtin Balef, will be screening in competition at the upcoming Raindance Film Festival in London. Below is the full statement from Mohammad Rasoulov, Kaveh Farnam and Farzad Pak: The Palme d'Or awarded to A Simple Accident marks the beginning of a new wave of success for a cinema that has emerged from the heart of prohibition and censorship. This victory is an unexpected and powerful blow to the machinery of repression in the Islamic Republic. We congratulate Jafar Panahi; his family, who have stood by him with patience and resilience over the years; and the cast and crew of this film, who—through solidarity, trust, and courage—resisted threats and pressure from security forces during its difficult and clandestine production. We are heartened to know that the film will soon be screened widely across the world, and we have no doubt that A Simple Accident will reach Iranian audiences before long—outside the official cinema networks, through the internet. After years of perseverance, resistance, and creative struggle by generations of filmmakers, the decaying and collapsing system of censorship has been pushed back. Iran's censorship-defying cinema is now more alive and deeply rooted than ever. We believe in the future of this cinema, and we are confident that many Iranian filmmakers—especially the younger generation—are seeking new paths to create works that are free, humane, and liberating. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Express Tribune
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Iran's Cannes film follows rules
The women actors in the film did not wear hijabs for the Cannes premiere. Photo: AFP A state-approved Iranian film featuring women constantly in headscarves premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday, with director Saeed Roustayi defending his decision to bend to the diktats of national censors. The Cannes Festival has long offered a platform for independent Iranian filmmakers whose work is lauded on the French Riviera but usually banned at home. Roustayi has previously defied his country's authorities. His last film in Cannes – Leila's Brothers in 2022 – landed him a six-month suspended jail term and film ban. "It affected my whole life, my family, and those around me," the 35-year-old told AFP. Three years later, he is back again with Woman and Child, again chosen for the main competition – but this time with official approval. The script was approved by Iranian censors, and the actors follow Iranian law, with women wearing the government-mandated hijab at all times on screen – even during scenes at home, where headscarves are typically taken off. "I'd love to make films without the hijab. I truly want to do that because I know my films would be more real and natural," Roustayi told AFP. He added: "I didn't want a permit, but they force you to get one. If you want to film in big locations like hospitals or schools or use professional cinema equipment, they require a permit." The women actors in Roustayi's offering did not wear hijabs when the film's team walked the red carpet for the Cannes premiere, though the lead actor, Parinaz Izadyar, wore a discreet headpiece. Ahead of its screening in Cannes, his work was hailed in Iran's state media, with the IRNA agency calling it "a happy and important moment for Iranian cinema". Exiles Roustayi's films often focus on the plight of women and Woman and Child is no exception, following a widow who struggles to balance the demands of her children, love life and work as a nurse. The director said he wants to make socially conscious dramas, and was seeking to "save" Iranian cinema from the low-quality commercial features that most of his compatriots are forced to watch. But his desire to make a film that can be viewed in cinemas in his homeland, not just at international film festivals and cinemas abroad, has been condemned by some exiled Iranian film figures. The hijab has become a politically charged symbol since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom demonstrations that saw women openly defy the security forces and remove their mandatory headscarves. "The women on the screen (in hijabs) are following the most discriminatory law in Iran. People were killed to dismantle it," California-based exiled Iranian film critic Mahshid Zamani told AFP. She helps run the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, a collective of 300 exiled Iranian cinema figures which has condemned Roustayi's decision to seek permits and permission. "Roustayi is in the tradition of what the Iranian government has been doing for 40 years: they have been sending out films to the international stage and saying 'look everything is rosy, there is freedom of speech'," she added. "We're not saying the film is a propaganda film. The government is using films like his film as a propaganda tool." Contrast Roustayi's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his compatriot Jafar Panahi, whose latest production It Was Just An Accident features several women without headscarves and is also competing for the top prize in Cannes. Panahi is a symbol of defiance, someone who has continued to make films despite receiving a 20-year ban in 2010. He spent nearly seven months behind bars in 2022-2023 and smuggled a copy of a previous film to the Cannes Festival hidden in a cake. It Was Just An Accident was shot in secret and tackles political repression and torture head-on, with a story about four ordinary Iranians who believe they have found their jail interrogator. When asked on Wednesday how Iranian filmmakers should approach the censors, Panahi said: "Everyone finds their path, their way of doing things relative to their abilities and knowledge. I don't have any advice to give." He added that, "despite everything, I have always found a way". Another Cannes favourite from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, fled the country last year for fear of being jailed for a third time, after making a film about the 2022-2023 protest movement. He has defended Roustayi, telling Variety magazine that there's a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic Republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". They were convicted of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion". AFP
Japan Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Hijabs on screen, critics off screen for Iran film in Cannes
Iranian film director Saeed Roustayi said he had to follow censors' orders on the government-mandated hijab to get a permit By Adam Plowright A state-approved Iranian movie featuring women constantly in headscarves premiered at the Cannes film festival on Thursday, with director Saeed Roustayi defending his decision to bend to the diktats of national censors. The Cannes Festival has long offered a platform for independent Iranian filmmakers whose work is lauded on the French Riviera but usually banned at home. Roustayi has previously defied his country's authorities. His last film in Cannes -- "Leila's Brothers" in 2022 -- landed him a six-month suspended jail term and film ban. "It affected my whole life, my family, and those around me," the 35-year-old told AFP. Three years later, he is back again with "Woman and Child", again chosen for the main competition -- but this time with official approval. The script was approved by Iranian censors, and the actors follow Iranian law, with women wearing the government-mandated hijab at all times on screen -- even during scenes at home, where headscarves are typically taken off. "I'd love to make films without the hijab. I truly want to do that because I know my films would be more real and natural," Roustayi told AFP. He added: "I didn't want a permit, but they force you to get one. If you want to film in big locations like hospitals or schools or use professional cinema equipment, they require a permit." The women actors in Roustayi's movie did not wear hijabs when the film's team walked the red carpet for the Cannes premiere, though the lead actor, Parinaz Izadyar, wore a discreet headpiece. Ahead of its screening in Cannes, his work was hailed in Iran's state media, with the IRNA agency calling it "a happy and important moment for Iranian cinema". Roustayi's films often focus on the plight of women and "Woman and Child" is no exception, following a widow who struggles to balance the demands of her children, love life and work as a nurse. The director said he wants to make socially conscious dramas, and was seeking to "save" Iranian cinema from the low-quality commercial features that most of his compatriots are forced to watch. But his desire to make a film that can be viewed in cinemas in his homeland, not just at international film festivals and cinemas abroad, has been condemned by some exiled Iranian film figures. The hijab has become a politically charged symbol since the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" demonstrations that saw women openly defy the security forces and remove their mandatory headscarves. "The women on the screen (in hijabs) are following the most discriminatory law in Iran. People were killed to dismantle it," California-based exiled Iranian film critic Mahshid Zamani told AFP. She helps run the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, a collective of 300 exiled Iranian cinema figures which has condemned Roustayi's decision to seek permits and permission. "Roustayi is in the tradition of what the Iranian government has been doing for 40 years: they have been sending out films to the international stage and saying 'look everything is rosy, there is freedom of speech'," she added. "We're not saying the film is a propaganda film. The government is using films like his film as a propaganda tool." Roustayi's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his compatriot Jafar Panahi, whose latest production "It Was Just An Accident" features several women without headscarves and is also competing for the top prize in Cannes. Panahi is a symbol of defiance, someone who has continued to make films despite receiving a 20-year ban in 2010. He spent nearly seven months behind bars in 2022-2023 and smuggled a copy of a previous film to the Cannes Festival hidden in a cake. "It Was Just An Accident" was shot in secret and tackles political repression and torture head-on, with a story about four ordinary Iranians who believe they have found their jail interrogator. When asked on Wednesday how Iranian filmmakers should approach the censors, Panahi said: "Everyone finds their path, their way of doing things relative to their abilities and knowledge. I don't have any advice to give." He added that, "despite everything, I have always found a way". Another Cannes favorite from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, fled the country last year for fear of being jailed for a third time, after making a film about the 2022-2023 protest movement. He has defended Roustayi, telling Variety magazine that there's a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic Republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". Last month, Iranian directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha were given suspended sentences for their acclaimed romantic drama "My Favourite Cake", which competed at the 2024 Berlin film festival. They were convicted of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion". © 2025 AFP
France 24
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Hijabs onscreen, critics offscreen for Iran film in Cannes
The Cannes Festival has long offered a platform for independent Iranian filmmakers whose work is lauded on the French Riviera but usually banned at home. Roustayi has previously defied his country's authorities. His last film in Cannes -- "Leila's Brothers" in 2022 -- landed him a six-month suspended jail term and film ban. "It affected my whole life, my family, and those around me," the 35-year-old told AFP. Three years later, he is back again with "Woman and Child", again chosen for the main competition -- but this time with official approval. The script was approved by Iranian censors, and the actors follow Iranian law, with women wearing the government-mandated hijab at all times on screen -- even during scenes at home, where headscarves are typically taken off. "I'd love to make films without the hijab. I truly want to do that because I know my films would be more real and natural," Roustayi told AFP. He added: "I didn't want a permit, but they force you to get one. If you want to film in big locations like hospitals or schools or use professional cinema equipment, they require a permit." The women actors in Roustayi's movie did not wear hijabs when the film's team walked the red carpet for the Cannes premiere, though the lead actor, Parinaz Izadyar, wore a discreet headpiece. Ahead of its screening in Cannes, his work was hailed in Iran's state media, with the IRNA agency calling it "a happy and important moment for Iranian cinema". Exiles Roustayi's films often focus on the plight of women and "Woman and Child" is no exception, following a widow who struggles to balance the demands of her children, love life and work as a nurse. The director said he wants to make socially conscious dramas, and was seeking to "save" Iranian cinema from the low-quality commercial features that most of his compatriots are forced to watch. But his desire to make a film that can be viewed in cinemas in his homeland, not just at international film festivals and cinemas abroad, has been condemned by some exiled Iranian film figures. The hijab has become a politically charged symbol since the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" demonstrations that saw women openly defy the security forces and remove their mandatory headscarves. "The women on the screen (in hijabs) are following the most discriminatory law in Iran. People were killed to dismantle it," California-based exiled Iranian film critic Mahshid Zamani told AFP. She helps run the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association, a collective of 300 exiled Iranian cinema figures which has condemned Roustayi's decision to seek permits and permission. "Roustayi is in the tradition of what the Iranian government has been doing for 40 years: they have been sending out films to the international stage and saying 'look everything is rosy, there is freedom of speech'," she added. "We're not saying the film is a propaganda film. The government is using films like his film as a propaganda tool." Contrast Roustayi's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his compatriot Jafar Panahi, whose latest production "It Was Just An Accident" features several women without headscarves and is also competing for the top prize in Cannes. Panahi is a symbol of defiance, someone who has continued to make films despite receiving a 20-year ban in 2010. He spent nearly seven months behind bars in 2022-2023 and smuggled a copy of a previous film to the Cannes Festival hidden in a cake. "It Was Just An Accident" was shot in secret and tackles political repression and torture head-on, with a story about four ordinary Iranians who believe they have found their jail interrogator. When asked on Wednesday how Iranian filmmakers should approach the censors, Panahi said: "Everyone finds their path, their way of doing things relative to their abilities and knowledge. I don't have any advice to give." He added that, "despite everything, I have always found a way". Another Cannes favourite from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, fled the country last year for fear of being jailed for a third time, after making a film about the 2022-2023 protest movement. He has defended Roustayi, telling Variety magazine that there's a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic Republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". They were convicted of "spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion".
Kuwait Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Iran's Panahi takes on Iran's jailers in Cannes comeback
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi made his first appearance at an international film festival in 15 years in Cannes on Tuesday, with a story about political prisoners trying to get back at their jailers. Panahi was banned from making films for 20 years and has been repeatedly detained since 2009 over his gritty, social dramas, considered subversive by the Islamic republic's regime. His new feature, "It Was Just An Accident" -- which is in the running for the top prize -- risks causing new legal problems for a prize-winning director celebrated by fans for his defiance. The 64-year-old said his nearly seven months in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran until February 2023 had helped inspire his latest wry tale. "One of the characteristics of the Iranian people is their humor," Panahi, 64, told Screen magazine. "This regime has been trying for over four decades now to impose on Iranians tragedy, tears and suffering but the Iranians always come up with humor and jokes." The acclaimed director has repeatedly skirted the ban on him by shooting in secret, including 2022's "No Bears", which screened at the Venice film festival and won a special jury prize there while he was in jail. "Although I am not banned any more, it didn't really change my actual situation. I still had to work illegally," he told Screen. A source close to the filmmaker, who asked not to be named, told AFP Panahi's latest film had been shot in secret and had no government funding. Cannes has a long history of supporting independent Iranian filmmakers, who often face legal problems and intimidation from Iranian authorities. Assange appears A second Iranian film is competing in the top Cannes competition this year -- "Mother and Child" by Saeed Roustaee. Roustaee was sentenced to six months in prison for the screening of his film "Leila's Brothers" in Cannes in 2022 but his latest production has drawn criticism from some exiled directors. The Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) has called it a "propaganda film" but it is unclear if they have seen it in full. Fellow Iranian Cannes favorite Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled the country last year, defended Roustaee. He told Variety that there was a "clear distinction between the propaganda films of the Islamic republic and the films that are made under the constraints of censorship". Wikileaks founder Julian Assange -- who spent five years in prison over his leak of classified US files -- is also in Cannes for the premiere on Wednesday of a documentary about him, "The Six Billion Dollar Man". Its American director, Eugene Jarecki, was awarded the first ever Golden Globe for documentary at Cannes on Monday for his previous work, including his 2018 film about Elvis, "The King". Ecuador's left-wing former president Rafael Correa, who famously offered Assange asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, was set to appear alongside the Australian at the premiere. Denzel's up and down night Panahi and Assange's presence comes at one of the most political Cannes for many years, dominated by protest over the war in Gaza, sexual politics and US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on movies from "foreign lands". Monday night featured a tense exchange with a photographer that took some of the joy from Hollywood star Denzel Washington's lifetime achievement award. The surprise honorary Palme d'Or was handed to Washington, 70, at the premiere of his latest film with New York director Spike Lee, "Highest 2 Lowest" -- the first time the actor has appeared at the festival. "It's a total surprise. I'm so emotional," Washington said, according to a member of the audience. The photographer had earlier appeared to grab the actor by the arm as he posed in front of a bank of cameras. Washington shook him off and then pointed his finger at him and appeared to say "Stop it" a number of times, videos showed. But despite the awkward incident, Washington's mood was no doubt lifted by the rave reviews of his and Lee's film. Loosely adapted from a Japanese master Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic, "High and Low", the Hollywood Reporter said the film had "wit, high style and kinetic energy to burn". The Guardian praised Washington's "magnificent form" in the movie, saying he played a music mogul with "grinning monarchical assurance". The Cannes film festival runs until Saturday. — AFP
