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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jafar Panahi Speaks Out for First Time in 14 Years as New Film ‘It Was Just an Accident' Premieres at Cannes: I Spent ‘Eight Hours a Day Blindfolded' and ‘Being Interrogated' in Iran Prison
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is considered one of the country's greatest living film masters, is in Cannes with his latest film 'It Was Just an Accident,' marking his first project since being incarcerated for several months in 2023 for criticizing the Iranian government. In 2010, the auteur — known globally for prizewinning works such as 'The Circle,' 'Offside,' 'This is Not a Film,' 'Taxi' and most recently 'No Bears' — was banned from making movies, speaking to the press and traveling, though he surreptitiously kept making them anyway. The ban was lifted in April 2023, and now Iranian authorities have allowed him to travel to Cannes to launch 'It Was Just an Accident.' More from Variety Taraji P. Henson Says Hollywood 'Lied to Me' About Black Movies and TV Not Selling Overseas, Spent Years Being 'Graceful in Getting Paid Less ... Not Anymore Though!' Spike Lee Says Denzel Washington Deserved Oscar for 'Malcolm X' Over Al Pacino: 'It's Like Basketball, Where the Ref Blows a Call' Palestine Film Institute Calls for Decision-Makers to Amplify Palestinian Filmmakers' Voices at Cannes Docs Showcase In one of his first interviews since the 14-year ban was lifted, Panahi spoke to Variety through an interpreter about 'It Was Just an Accident,' revealing how the drama — which centers around an outpouring of strong feelings by a group of former prisoners toward a torturous guard — stems from his incarceration. Pahani also expressed his desire for Iranians to see 'It Was Just an Accident,' his first feature in which women do not wear the mandatory hijab, which he said reflects 'the new reality of our society.' To put it simply, your latest film talks about people who are very angry about how they were treated in jail. Is it just an accident that you made it after being jailed in Tehran's Evin prison for political prisoners for several months? When you spend eight hours a day blindfolded, seated in front of a wall, being interrogated by someone standing behind your back every day, you can't stop wondering what kind of conversation you can have with this man. Out of these specific circumstances, what would be your relationship with such a human being if you meet them again? Not that I came up immediately with the idea of making a film out of it. It's just a reflection, the kind of thought that you have while you are undergoing these specific circumstances in prison. But that's normal. As a filmmaker, you are always influenced by your environment, and when they take you out of your life and your society to lock you in a space like a prison, of course you come up with these reflections and ideas. But then [again] I didn't mean to make a film out of it. Even when I was released, whenever I would walk or go by the prison, I asked myself: 'What has happened to all these people who were with me, who are now on the other side of this wall? What are they up to? What are they going through these days while I'm out?' And so it was only gradually that all these reflections came together and gave me the idea of putting up this script and making a film out of it. Is it fair to say that this film is an attempt at some kind of reconciliation? It's not about war and peace. It's about the cycle of violence. We are social filmmakers, and as social filmmakers, we have no such thing as an absolute good character or an absolute bad character. Nobody is completely good or bad. Everybody is part of the system, and everybody is the outcome of a structure of a system that imposes its own rules and its own values on these people. So, the issue is more than reconciliation. It is a question of understanding how, when this system collapses, people who have been bombarded with medieval propaganda for nearly half a century can live together peacefully and express their needs and desires in an authentic way. Of course, you shot this film, as has been the case in the past, without a permit. Was it more difficult to do that than before? Well, my situation changed because the sentence — that had been running for over 16 years now, that banned me from filmmaking and even interviews and traveling — is now canceled. So officially, I'm like any other filmmaker who can undergo the process of censorship and ask for a permit to make a film. But of course, this is only the official aspect. In reality, given the subject that I wanted to deal with and the script that I had in mind, there was no way I could submit it to a commission and wait for their approval to make this film. So in reality, although the formal situation is different, for me it was exactly the same. I had to work in total secrecy, and again, do clandestine filmmaking with only my very close crew being aware of the subject of the film and of the content of the script. It was only my DP, my sound person and my actors. They were the only ones who really knew what we were going to work with, and that was the way we had to proceed all the way through. I believe that this is the first time that you shot a film in which one of the characters is a woman who is not wearing a veil. Is that true? If so, tell me about the significance of that and why you chose to do that? Well, this is the rule of Iranian cinema. It's been the rule since the revolution. You are not allowed to show a woman's hair. And because we had to put up with this rule, all of us were constantly trying to find solutions. And the first solution was not to give into this contradiction of showing women at home, where not even a religious woman would wear a scarf or a veil. And that's the reason why I always made films that happened outside. Never in homes. Never interiors, so that we could justify the fact that they wore a veil according to the social rule. So this is something that I have respected in all my films by showing women on the streets, in the countryside, outside, so that they wear a veil as they actually did in Iranian society. But then almost three years ago, there was this Woman, Life, Freedom movement after Mahsa Amini's death, and this totally changed Iranian society. At the time we were in jail, so we couldn't fully realize what was going on and what was the actual image, the transformed image, of Iranian society. I realized what really happened when I had a health problem and I insisted for weeks and weeks to be taken to a hospital. It was only after a few months that they finally accepted to transfer me to a hospital in a van. And it was when I was crossing the city that all of a sudden I realized that Tehran had changed, because some women were just walking around with no veil. Most women had taken off their veils, and in spite of all the repression and all the conflicts that there had been on the subject, we could just see them walking freely with no veil on their head after four decades. And this was something totally new. Something that was the new reality of our society. And as I said [to myself] because we are social filmmakers, we depict the reality of our country. The reality of our society. So there was no way I could make a film and go on covering the female actresses, because that's not what Iranian women – or many of them – are now doing. And this is why when I shot this film, I showed this character as she would have been in her real life. And as a matter of fact, it was not just my actresses, it was also all the extras that you can see on the streets. We never asked them to put on a veil or to take off their veil. They were just as they were. And when we were shooting this bookshop scene, we were there and then some passers-by, they noticed us and they realized that we were making a film, and they recognized me. And as they were just talking on the street, I asked them, 'Would you mind appearing as extras in the film?' And so the women said: 'We don't mind, but we will not wear a veil. If you ask us to wear a veil, we won't do it.' Do you feel that Iran's authorities, by allowing you to travel, want to signal that they are being less repressive? Well, I don't think it's really a decision with a specific meaning. I think I just did what my sentence required, which was that I was banned for 20 years. I did 15 years of it, 16 years of it, so I almost went through the [full] punishment that I was given. So I think even if you follow their legislation, they could not renew this sentence. It came to an end. But I don't really see it as a sign of less repression or any openness. I think they are just putting up with their own laws as they go. This is clearly a film that will not be able to have official distribution in Iran, as is always the case. However, when I was in Tehran a few years ago I went to the national museum of cinema and I found it interesting that there were posters of your films and prizes that you won in Cannes on display and that you were fully acknowledged as an important figure in Iranian cinema. When you make your films, do you consider the fact that they will be seen, albeit maybe not through the official channels? Are you making the film to speak to your own people? As I said, we are social filmmakers. We get our inspiration from our society. Of course, the first spectators that we would like to have are our own compatriots, the Iranian viewers. And we really struggled with that. We even asked to have at least one specific theater where we could show our films for free, at least one place. But this was never made possible. This is how this regime has been running this country for decades now. They decide what you should say, what films should be made, what films should be shown, how you should get dressed, what you should eat. They decide about every aspect of your life. This is the appearance that they impose on the Iranian people, but behind the curtain, the Iranians have not all submitted to these laws. They go on living their own lives with their own taste, with their own habits. And so of course, they discover our films as part of their lives, their social and cultural lives. And thank God, now we have all the new technologies and the virtual world that allows us to make this process very simple and quick, and reaching very quickly the Iranian audiences with our films. So even if it harms us economically, we don't mind. We just want the Iranians to see our films, and we still wish we had at least one theater to show them. But even if we can't, at least they can see them in illegal ways or in unofficial ways. As for the museum that you were referring to, all the prizes, the awards that are there are related to the films that I shot before being imprisoned. Because when I was in jail, the interrogator was putting so much pressure on me for all these awards and the festivals and the recognition of my films. The first time that I saw my wife after that, I told her: 'Go to the museum and get these awards back because now they are really problematic for me.' So now they are in my home. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 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
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spike Lee Says Denzel Washington Deserved Oscar for ‘Malcolm X' Over Al Pacino: ‘It's Like Basketball, Where the Ref Blows a Call'
At a Cannes press conference for his new film 'Highest 2 Lowest' on Tuesday, Spike Lee reflected on his five collaborations with Denzel Washington — and said he should have won the best actor Oscar in 1993 over Al Pacino. ''Malcolm X,' what he did with that film was amazing,' Lee said. 'And no disrespect to my brother Al Pacino, I love him. But Denzel, in my opinion, should have won.' More from Variety Palestine Film Institute Calls for Decision-Makers to Amplify Palestinian Filmmakers' Voices at Cannes Docs Showcase Spike Lee Shades Trump at Cannes: 'I Don't Know How Much We Can Talk About American Values Considering Who Is President' 'Legally Blonde' Director Robert Luketic to Tackle Survival Thriller 'Resurface' (EXCLUSIVE) Pacino ended up taking home the gold for his performance in Martin Brest's 'Scent of a Woman,' and Washington eventually won the best actor trophy in 2002 for 'Training Day.' However, Lee added that he doesn't measure his success with awards. 'With these awards, it's like basketball, where the ref blows a call and you have to make a call. So the make a call I think was 'Training Day,' which he won an Oscar for,' Lee said. 'But we don't do our work for awards, which are nice, but it's the work that is going to stand above all awards.' Asked if he and Washington would be collaborating more in the future, Lee said, 'I think this is it.' 'He's been talking about retirement, so… Even though he just did another deal,' Lee continued. 'I thought you said you were retired Denzel, what's up?! But those five films together, those stand up.' Washington stars in 'Highest 2 Lowest,' which premiered at Cannes on Monday night to a 5.5-minute standing ovation. An English-language remake of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film 'High and Low,' 'Highest 2 Lowest' is set in modern day New York and stars Washington as a music mogul tied up in a life-or-death ransom plot. A$AP Rocky plays Yung Felon, an aspiring rapper who will stop at nothing to achieve his dream. Neither were on hand at the Cannes press conference for the film. 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
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taraji P. Henson Says Hollywood ‘Lied to Me' About Black Movies and TV Not Selling Overseas, Spent Years Being ‘Graceful in Getting Paid Less … Not Anymore Though!'
Taraji P. Henson joined Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, at the Cannes Film Festival for a Kering Women in Motion Talk in which the Oscar nominee spoke honestly about course-correcting her priorities in Hollywood. Henson recently took a month off from work and relocated to Bali after feeling 'discouraged' by the film and TV industry machine. 'I was just frustrated and it was making me bitter, and I'm not a bitter person,' Henson said, nodding to continued struggles in Hollywood over the lack of prominent roles, pay and awards recognition for women of color. 'I made a promise to myself if I ever got there then it's time to walk away. I'm not serving myself or the audience or the characters I play. Thank god I did that. I came back refreshed and with a new perspective. More from Variety Spike Lee Says Denzel Washington Deserved Oscar for 'Malcolm X' Over Al Pacino: 'It's Like Basketball, Where the Ref Blows a Call' Palestine Film Institute Calls for Decision-Makers to Amplify Palestinian Filmmakers' Voices at Cannes Docs Showcase Spike Lee Shades Trump at Cannes: 'I Don't Know How Much We Can Talk About American Values Considering Who Is President' 'Sometimes in the industry you make it about the trophies and the awards and that's never why i got into it,' Henson added. 'I came into this to change lives. The arts saved me. I was a little Black girl in the hood in D.C. during the crack epidemic. I'm supposed to be a statistic. I wasn't supposed to make it out but I did.' Smith brought data to the conversation that supported Smith's frustration with Hollywood. Smith noted that while 54% of the top 200 movies of last year prominently featured girls and women, only 13% were women of color and only 1% featured a woman of color 45 years old or older. 'There are few women of color being given the opportunity,' Smith said about her takeaway from the numbers. Henson said it was important for her to 'stop chasing the things I never came into the industry for' like awards and 'refocus.' She also noted that she had spent years being 'graceful in getting paid less than. Not anymore though!' When she returned from her month break in Bali, she dove head first into non-acting business opportunities like her beauty brand TPH 'instead of relying on that check from Hollywood.' 'I urge you all to speak up for yourself,' Henson told the women in attendance at the conversation. 'I have worked my butt off to garner the following I have. My following rides for me. That's an audience I procured through my hard work and the characters I play. I know a studio, when they call on me, they are calling on me because they know all these people are going to come and show up. That's my power. You need me because you need my following. Thank you, social media. Once I figured that out, I just started speaking up for myself.' Henson said one of the defining moments in realizing she had power in Hollywood was when she discovered the industry's claim that Black projects don't sell oversees is just a myth. It happened during the international press tour for Fox's music drama series 'Empire,' which turned Henson into an international star as her character, the outspoken Cookie, became the series' most iconic role. 'When I did the international press for 'Empire,' up until then I was told Black doesn't translate overseas,' she said. 'Really? We went to Paris. Lee Daniels kept me a secret to the audience at a Q&A. The fans started asking the Cookie questions and he said, 'Why don't you ask her.' Before he could finish saying my name, the entire room erupted in applause and was screaming. For me? I got up on the stage and I ugly-faced cried. The myth was busting. You lied to me my entire career. I leave the stage and there are fans outside who know my name. That changed the game.' As Henson re-enters Hollywood with new perspective, she said she is embracing 'the freedom of doing what I want to do and not being controlled by the industry or the machine.' She next stars in the Netflix drama film 'Straw,' streaming June 6. 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
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Corsage' Director Marie Kreutzer's ‘Gentle Monster' Wins ArteKino Prize at Cannes Investors Circle
'Corsage' director Marie Kreutzer's 'Gentle Monster' emerged as the big winner at the third edition of the Cannes Film Market's Investors Circle, scooping up the ArteKino International Prize with its €20,000 ($22,500) purse. The Austrian project, produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz of Film AG Produktions GmbH, was selected from among 10 film projects presented to VIP investors at the high-profile Cannes financing event. More from Variety Taraji P. Henson Says Hollywood 'Lied to Me' About Black Movies and TV Not Selling Overseas, Spent Years Being 'Graceful in Getting Paid Less ... Not Anymore Though!' Spike Lee Says Denzel Washington Deserved Oscar for 'Malcolm X' Over Al Pacino: 'It's Like Basketball, Where the Ref Blows a Call' Palestine Film Institute Calls for Decision-Makers to Amplify Palestinian Filmmakers' Voices at Cannes Docs Showcase 'I'm surprised in the most positive way,' Kreutzer said following her win. 'Filmmaking is a really big mountain, and what happens before the premiere – to get a film made – is a very long climb. So we really need people who want to support cinema and have love for cinema – that's why meeting investors is extremely important. I had great conversations with these investors so far. The script has sparked their interest, and they're eager to learn more about the project.' Held at the Plage des Palmes – the festival and market's official beachside venue – during the Cannes Film Festival, the third edition of the financing forum showcased 10 film projects that had never been publicly revealed before. The event featured industry panels followed by a private pitching session with acclaimed filmmakers. The high-wattage director lineup included Cannes competition regular Jessica Hausner ('Little Joe,' 'Club Zero'), Academy Award-winner Sebastián Lelio ('A Fantastic Woman,' 'Disobedience'), Grand Prix and Caméra d'Or recipient Lukas Dhont ('Close,' 'Girl') and Oscar-nominated Golden Bear winner Jasmila Žbanić ('Quo Vadis, Aida?'). All projects featured budgets between €3 million ($3.3 million) and €9 million ($10.1 million) and were selected for their commercial potential and creative ambition. Aleksandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the market, oversaw the selection process alongside a committee including ARTE France Cinéma MD Remi Burah, media entrepreneur Serge Hayat, Hubert Bals Fund head Tamara Tatishvili (who also moderated the pitching session), and New Europe Film Sales' head of acquisitions Marcin Łuczaj. Investors at the gathering had the opportunity to be the first to discover these anticipated projects, with legal support from entertainment industry specialists 111 Avocats provided to filmmakers ahead of one-on-one investor meetings. 'The Investors Circle is a rare and valuable event,' said Celine Dornier, VP financing and acquisitions at Logical Pictures Group, who attended as a selected investor. 'It's truly designed with investors in mind, which makes all the difference. The selection of projects is consistently high-level, with prestigious and diverse filmmakers that match what I'm looking for.' The complete roster of projects unveiled at the 2025 Investors Circle includes: 'Coward' (working title) directed by Lukas Dhont (Belgium), produced by Michiel Dhont at The Reunion 'Disorder' directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese (Italy), produced by Marco Alessi and Giulia Achilli at Dugong Films 'Gentle Monster' directed by Marie Kreutzer (Austria), produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz at Film AG Produktions GmbH 'Kamo' directed by Kornél Mundruczó (Hungary), produced by Mike Goodridge at Good Chaos, Ilya Stewart at Hype Studios, and Balthazar de Ganay 'Motherlove' directed by Eliza Hittman (US), produced by Paul Mezey and Andrew Goldman at Present Company 'On Land and Sea' directed by Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland), produced by Katrin Pors at Snowglobe and Anton Máni Svansson at Still Vivid 'Poeta Chileno' directed by Sebastián Lelio (Chile), produced by Rocío Jadue, Juan de Dios Larraín, and Pablo Larraín at Fabula 'Quo Vadis, Aida – The Missing Part' directed by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), produced by Damir Ibrahimović at Deblokada 'The Puma' directed by Marcela Said (France/Chile), produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier, and Eliott Khayat at Haut et Court 'Toxic' directed by Jessica Hausner (Austria), produced by Johannes Schubert at Schubert and Philippe Bober at Coproduction Office 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
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Pro-Palestine protesters chant ‘from the river to the sea' at Cannes
Pro-Palestine demonstrators chanted ' from the river to the sea ' as they staged a rally against 'genocide' at the Cannes film festival – despite a ban on political protests. For the first time in almost 10 years, the festival is hosting an official Palestinian Pavilion. The pavilions serve as a base for filmmakers and producers to show off opportunities in their countries. However, on Thursday, the site was used to host an event in which activists criticised what they described as Israel's 'genocide' in Gaza. It was held to coincide with the annual Nakba Day, which marks the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from the region in 1948 and laments the founding of the state of Israel. Speakers at the event railed against the 'ongoing atrocity' suffered by Palestinians and declared 'end this genocide', with one chanting 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. International festival-goers, including British and American citizens, and some members of the press attended while wearing keffiyeh Palestinian scarves. A Greek journalist tearfully called out 'free Palestine', while a South African delegate led chants of 'free, free Palestine'. The event was billed as a gathering to 'remember lives shaped by genocide' and 'the people of Gaza, their martyred children, women and men'. Festival keen 'not to offend' It was organised by the Palestine Film Institute, which is leading the Palestinian delegation in Cannes. The institute states on its website that there is a 'relentless genocide perpetrated against our people in Gaza'. Film Workers for Palestine also helped with the organisation. The international group has characterised the current conflict in Gaza as a 'US-backed genocide', and has led calls for a boycott of Disney and Marvel over their 'whitewashing' of the violence. Activists with the group have claimed on their website that the films Captain America: Brave New World and the recent Snow White remake were attempts 'to normalise anti-Palestinian racism and cover up Israel's ongoing carnage in Gaza'. The Snow White film starred Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, who the group branded a 'propagandist'. The gathering took place on the seafront grounds of the Cannes film festival, despite rules prohibiting 'political, militant or electoral events or demonstrations'. The ban was introduced for this year's festival to 'not to offend the participants' various sensitivities'. Those who breach the rules run the risk of being thrown out of the festival, and each national pavilion is responsible for the events that it hosts. A spokesman for the festival said it had 'this year... made explicit in its charter certain rules that have long been in effect.' They added: 'The Festival de Cannes does not ban political expression. However, our focus must remain on the films and the creative teams presenting them. 'For this reason, we have a long-standing rule that prohibits any demonstrations or protests that have not been expressly authorised in advance. 'The Marche du Film hosts pavilions from a wide range of countries around the world. Each pavilion is managed autonomously by the institution it represents and bears full responsibility for the events and activities organised within its private spaces.' The ban on political activity came after nearly 400 stars signed an open letter calling for the film industry to take a stand on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Actors including Australian Guy Pearce and British star Ralph Fiennes supported the call, which stated: 'We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza.' The festival's jury president, Juliette Binoche, used her speech at its opening ceremony to touch on both the plight of Gaza's civilians and the Oct 7 massacre. Her remarks would have been signed off in advance.
