Cheers And Jeers As Cannes-Winning Director Jafar Panahi Returns To Iran

June 2, 2025

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE/ RL ) – The awarding of the prestigious Palme d’Or to It Was Just An Accident, the latest film by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, has sparked widespread reactions in Iran and across the global Iranian diaspora.

 

The accolade at the 78th Cannes Film Festival marks a significant milestone for Panahi, a director long known for his dissident stance and creative resilience in the face of government censorship.

Panahi, who has previously faced imprisonment and a travel ban imposed by Iranian authorities, used his acceptance speech to call for unity among Iranians in pursuit of freedom.

Following the announcement, over 150 artists, writers, and civil society activists from inside and outside Iran issued a joint statement celebrating Panahi’s achievement. They praised his “perseverance and creativity” and described the award as evidence that “the voice of truth and art will never be silenced in the face of oppression.”

“This award is a kind of endorsement of independent cinema outside the supervision and rules of the Islamic republic,” Mana Neyestani, a France-based Iranian cartoonist and one of the statement’s signatories, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda. “And, at the same time, it supports the freedom-seeking movement of the Iranian people.”

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the award “a symbol of resistance against the oppression and tyranny of the Iranian regime,” and said it “revives hope in the hearts of all freedom fighters around the world.”

Barrot’s comment led to the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoning the French charge d’affaires, condemning the minister’s remarks as “baseless claims.”

Similarly, state-affiliated media in Iran were not impressed with Panahi’s achievement, dismissing the award as a political maneuver orchestrated by Cannes and foreign actors.

The Iranian judiciary’s news agency, Mizan, described the awarding of Panahi’s movie as evidence of “the Cannes Palme d’Or falling into the trap of political games,” adding that Barrot’s message was “part of a pre-planned political scenario at Cannes, to be executed with the help of anti-Iranian actors.”

‘Turning Point’ For Iranian Cinema

Still, some Iranian outlets acknowledged the historic nature of Panahi’s win, describing it as a turning point for Iranian cinema.

Notably, It Was Just An Accident was produced clandestinely, outside official channels, and Panahi dedicated the film to banned Iranian filmmakers — particularly women — who have faced persecution for supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Panahi told reporters in Cannes that he would return to Iran immediately after the awards ceremony, and he landed in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport early on May 26 to cheers from his supporters.

The Cannes victory comes amid heightened government crackdowns on artists and activists in Iran, especially following the 2022 protests for women’s rights. Many filmmakers and actresses have been banned from working or traveling, and some have faced legal repercussions for defying the state’s strictures.

Before the Cannes festival began, Radio Farda sources reported that the creators of It Was Just An Accident were facing increased pressure, including contacts from security organizations and summonses for questioning.

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Panahi’s Palme d’Or is only the second in Iranian cinema history, following Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste Of Cherry in 1997.

With the win, Panahi joins only three other filmmakers in history — Michelangelo Antonioni, Robert Altman, and Henri-Georges Clouzot — to have achieved the “triple crown” of European cinema: The Cannes Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident, the Berlin Golden Bear for Taxi, and the Venice Golden Lion for The Circle.