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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.'
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's presence in Cannes speaks volumes
CANNES, France -- Before this week, the dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi hadn't attended the premiere of one of his films in more than 15 years. Panahi, one of the leading international directors, was banned from traveling out of Iran in 2009 for attending the funeral of a student killed in the Green Movement protests, a judgment later extended to two decades. But even when placed under house arrest, Panahi kept making movies, many of which are among the most lauded of the century. He made 2011's 'This Is Not a Film' on an iPhone in his living room. 'Taxi' (2015) was clandestinely shot almost entirely within a car. These and other films of Panahi's premiered to considerable acclaim at international film festivals where the director's conspicuous absence was sometimes noted by an empty chair. When his last film, 2022's 'No Bears,' debuted, he was in jail. Only after his hunger strike made worldwide news was Panahi — who had gone to Tehran's Evin Prison to inquire about his friend, the then-jailed filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof — released, in early 2023. Two years later, with his travel ban finally lifted, Panahi arrived at the Cannes Film Festival with a film, 'It Was Just an Accident,' riven with the fury and pain of incarceration by the Islamic Republic. 'Being here does matter, of course. But what's even more important is that the film is here,' Panahi said in an interview on a Palais terrace. 'Even when I went to jail, I was happy that the film was done. I didn't mind being in prison because my job was done.' Yet Panahi's appearance in Cannes, where the film premiered Tuesday, carries tremendous meaning — and risk — for a filmmaker who has played such a massive role in international cinema in absentia. But for a director who has previously had his films smuggled out of Iran on USB drives, risk is a constant for Panahi. 'Yes, this is an ongoing risk,' he says, speaking through an interpreter. 'Now it will probably be higher. But the Iran situation is unpredictable. It changes everyday. New politics everyday. So we have to see what happens the day we go back.' Last year, in order to reach Cannes, Panahi's countryman Rasoulof crossed the Iranian border on foot before resettling in Germany. (His film, 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' was ultimately nominated for best international film at the Oscars.) Panahi says they speak every other day. After the premiere of 'It Was Just an Accident,' Rasoulof texted Panahi to congratulate him on the moment. Unlike Rasoulof, though, Panahi — whose 'No Bears' captured him emotionally gazing across, but not crossing, the border — has no plans to flee. 'I'm flying back to Tehran on Sunday,' he says. 'It's simple. I'm unable to live here,' he elaborates. 'I have no ability to adapt to a new country, a new culture. Some people have this ability, this strength. I don't.' What Panahi does have, as his latest film shows once again, is the ability to deftly lace complicated feelings of resistance, sorrow and hope into gripping movies of elegant, if heartbreaking, composition. In 'It Was Just an Accident,' which is in competition for the Palme d'Or in Cannes, a man named Vahid (played by Vahid Mobasser) believes he sees his former captor and torturer. Though blindfolded while imprisoned, Vahid recognizes the sound of the man's prosthetic leg. He abducts him, takes him to the desert and begins to bury him in the ground. But to satisfy pangs of doubt, Vahid decides to confirm his suspicion by bringing the man, locked in his van, to other former prisoners for identification. In this strange odyssey, they are all forced to confront revenge or forgiveness for the man who ruined their lives. Panahi drew from his own imprisonment but also from the stories of detainees jailed alongside him. 'It was the experience of all these people I met in prison, mixed with my own perception and experience,' said Panahi. 'For instance, the fact of never seeing the face of your interrogator is everyone's experience. But then the people who have spent over a decade in prison have more experience than myself, so I've been very sensitive to their narratives.' 'It Was Just an Accident' may be Panahi's most politically direct film yet. It's certainly his most anguished. That's a product of not just his personal experience in prison but of the protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. 'I think ultimately violence will be inevitable. And it's exactly what the regime wants, because it gives a justification to the repression,' says Panahi. 'The longer they remain and the more pressure they put on the people, the more the people will feel that they have no other solution. And that's when it will get dangerous.' That doesn't mean Panahi is without hope. 'The Iranians' struggle and fight for freedom is extremely precious,' he says. 'What people are doing is so impressive. The regime is just trying to divide us. That's all they focus on now, to create division between the people.' In Iran, film productions need to receive script approval from the government to shoot in public. Panahi refuses to do that, knowing they won't allow him to make the films he wants to. So committed is he to making film, he notes that the downside to being able to travel is that he might have to spend a year promoting his film, instead of making the next one. On Thursday, Neon acquired the North American distribution rights. 'There's nothing else I can do. Maybe if I had other abilities, I would have changed to something else,' Panahi says. 'When you know that's the only thing you can do, you find ways. Now, I've gotten used to it. It was harder at the beginning. There were less people doing underground films. We started this fashion, in a way, so there are ways we have learned and practiced, many of us.' More than perhaps any filmmaker on earth, you can expect Panahi to find a way to keep making movies, no matter the circumstances. 'I'll try,' he nods, 'at least.'
