Latest news with #VahidMobasseri
Al Jazeera
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Iranian film, It was Just an Accident, wins Palme D'Or at Cannes festival
An Iranian thriller film that explores corruption and state violence in the country has won the the Palme d'Or, the coveted top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It Was Just an Accident, directed by dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was crowned at the world-famous festival on Saturday, hours after a power outage briefly threw the event off course. The festival's crowd burst into a roaring standing ovation for Panahi, who has endured years of travel bans and prison terms in Iran due to his provocative cinema, often produced in secret. He had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years. 'Art mobilises the creative energy of the most precious, most alive part of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life,' said jury president Juliette Binoche when announcing the award. On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was the future of his country. 'Let us join forces,' Panahi said. 'No one should tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, or what we should or shouldn't do.' Partly inspired by Panahi's own experience in jail, It Was Just An Accident follows a man named Vahid (played by Vahid Mobasseri), who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life. Vahid sets out to verify with other prison survivors that it is indeed their torturer, and then decide what to do with him. Critics have praised the film as a clever, symbolic exploration of justice that blends dark humour with its intense themes. The festival's 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. Kleber Mendonca Filho's Brazilian political thriller, The Secret Agent, won two big awards: best director for Fihlo and best actor for Wagner Moura. 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. Cannes also honoured Hasan Hadi's The President's Cake with a best first film award, marking the first time an Iraqi film has won an award at the festival. The Cannes closing ceremony took place after a major power outage struck southeastern France on Saturday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing businesses to close along the main shopping street in the Alpes-Maritimes holiday region. Police suspect arson as the cause. Geopolitical tensions were also a constant backdrop at the festival, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza and US President Donald Trump's proposal of tariffs on foreign-made films fuelling discussion. More than 900 actors and filmmakers signed an open letter denouncing the genocide in Gaza, according to the organisers.
Canberra Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Canberra Times
Iranian thriller wins Cannes' top prize
It Was Just An Accident follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life.
Khaleej Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Cannes Festival: Iran's Jafar Panahi wins best film award for It Was Just an Accident
"It Was Just an Accident" by Iran's Jafar Panahi won the prestigious Palme d'Or for best film at the Cannes Festival on Saturday. The highly political but wry film tells the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronted with a man they believed tortured them in jail. "It Was Just An Accident" follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life. Vahid sets out to verify with other prison survivors that it is indeed their torturer, and then decide what to do with him. The Grand Prix, the second-highest prize after the Palme d'Or, was awarded to "Sentimental Value" from acclaimed director Joachim Trier. Twenty-two films in total were competing for the prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with entries from well-known directors Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Belgium's Dardenne brothers. The winners
Reuters
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
'It Was Just An Accident' by Iran's Jafar Panahi wins Cannes' top prize
CANNES, France, May 24 (Reuters) - "It Was Just An Accident" by Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or top prize on Saturday. Panahi, who has been arrested several times for his filmmaking, was last at the festival in person in 2003, when "Crimson Gold" was screened in the Un Certain Regard category. "Art mobilizes the creative energy of the most precious, most alive part of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life," said jury president Juliette Binoche when announcing the award. "It Was Just An Accident" follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life. Vahid sets out to verify with other prison survivors that it is indeed their torturer, and then decide what to do with him. The Grand Prix, the second-highest prize after the Palme d'Or, was awarded to "Sentimental Value" from acclaimed director Joachim Trier. Twenty-two films in total were competing for the prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with entries from well-known directors Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Belgium's Dardenne brothers.
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
It Was Just an Accident review: Jafar Panahi's new Cannes film rages against the Iranian state
One of the biggest stories at the Cannes Film Festival this year is the return of Iranian director Jafar Panahi. It's not simply that he has a new film. He's been making movies for the past three decades, ever since his 1995 debut The White Balloon won the Camera d'Or for Best First Film in Cannes. Since that time, he has fallen foul of the Iranian authorities for his work. Imprisoned twice, he is officially banned from making movies or even giving interviews. So for Panahi to arrive in Cannes with his new film, It Was Just an Accident, which is in competition, is something of a coup. Especially when you take a look at the film, a morality tale about vengeance that simmers with anger. It begins with a man (Ebrahim Azizi) driving his wife and daughter when they have an accident, killing an animal. This roadkill leads the man into the path of Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), who works at a garage. Immediately Vahid is unsettled, believing he knows this man from the past. In his eyes, this is Eghbal the Peg Leg, also known as The Gimp, a one-legged state interrogator who was responsible for the brutal torture of Vahid and many others. He kidnaps Eghbal and takes him to the desert where he plans to bury him alive, despite the man's protests that he is not who Vahid thinks he is. Having second thoughts, Vahid decides to confirm his identity, tying him up inside a trunk in the back of his van. His enquiries lead him to Shiva (Maryam Afshari). She is a photographer on an assignment snapping a bride Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten) and a groom (Majid Panahi, the director's nephew). All three have crossed paths with Eghbal in the past. A further figure is thrown into the mix, the hot-headed Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr), who appears desperate to pull the trigger on this captive. 'We're at war,' he yells. 'If you don't kill, you'll be killed.' In a slightly convenient narrative twist, the group decide to drug Eghbal and put earplugs in his ears, so he can't identity them. We never see this and there's no real indication of how they managed that. But let's allow Panahi this one moment of artistic licence. As much as the film's writer-director stokes the tension, he's not afraid to punctuate the narrative with moments of humour. These include two security guards who witness a ruckus in Vahid's van, then happily accept a bribe, with one even producing a remote point-of-sale terminal to swipe Vahid's credit card (a piece of plastic that takes a serious hit throughout this story). The final act, however, is both surprising and hard to watch, as Eghbal – if indeed that's who it is – is confronted by his kidnappers. With the scene bathed in blood red, it'll leave you on the edge of your seat. Even more impressive are the performances. Only Azizi, who plays Eghbal, is a professional actor, but Panahi draws powerful turns from all of the cast, especially Afshari, who dominates the final scenes. A film that rages against the Iranian state, it's almost impossible to separate the creator from the creation here. Panahi's anger is laid out for all to see, as he takes a sledgehammer to the oppressive regimes he has encountered. There's even a reference to ISIS, and how they kill innocent people, reasoning that those who have committed no crime will go to Heaven. Whatever the case, if this wins Cannes' Palme d'Or, it would be no accident.
