Cinemaquem is Jafar Panahi, Iranian filmmaker who challenged censorship and won the Golden Palm in Cannes?

Jafar Panahione of the biggest names in contemporary cinema, was again the center of attention after winning the Golden Palm at the Cannes Festival, with its latest movie, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT or The simple accideNT (2025), last Saturday, 24.

Victory represents not only an artistic recognition, but also a symbol of resistance: Panahi He was sentenced to six years in prison and forbidden to make films and leave Iran for 20 years, but never stopped working, challenging censorship, even under the most severe restrictions.

Historical

With the honor, Panahi He joined an extremely select group: he is just the fourth director in the history of cinema, alongside Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altmanwinning the three major awards of the world’s most important festivals, which are the Golden Palm of Cannes, the Berlin Golden Bear and the Golden Lion of Venice.

In addition, he became the first winner of the Golden Camera, a prize given to the best premieres in Cannes, which he won in 1995, with The white balloonalso to receive the Golden Palm, a feat that further reinforces its importance and singular trajectory in world cinema.

Who is Jafar Panahi?

Born in 1960, in the city of Mianeh, Iran, Panahi It became an icon of the so-called Iranian resistance cinema. He emerged internationally with his first feature, The white balloon (1995), winner of the gold camera in Cannes, and consolidated with works such as The circle (2000), awarded the Golden Lion in Venice, and TEERÃ TAXI (2015), which guaranteed the gold bear in Berlin.

His filmography is powerful and engaged, always focused on denouncing social injustices, especially against women in Iran, as in Offside (2006), which mixes humor and tension to expose the absurd social and legal barriers that restrict female freedom in the country. Also usually mix fiction and documentary, style evidenced in IsI’m not a movie (2011), produced clandestinely during his house arrest.

In recent years, it has continued to explore political and social themes in works such as 3 faces (2018) and its latest work, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (2025), awarded in Cannes, where he uses black humor and irony to talk about resistance and freedom in a context of oppression.

Condemnations and Prison

Despite the international prestige, Panahi faced a harsh repression on the part of the Iranian regime. In 2010, he was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of “advertising against the system”And“Activities against National Security”After expressing support for opposition in the 2009 elections and trying to film the following protests.

In addition to the penalty, it was prohibited from conducting any artistic activity and leaving the country for two decades. Even so, it produced clandestine films like This is not a movie (2011), a work filmed in his apartment, which was smuggled abroad hidden inside a pie.

In 2022, Panahi He was arrested again as he attended the court to follow the case of fellow detained filmmakers, and the authorities determined that he would serve the prison sentence decreed years earlier. The arrest generated international protests and campaigns for its release. In the following years, Panahi He was released and gradually managed to resume his trajectory, culminating in his triumphant presence at the 2025 Cannes Festival.

What is your new movie?

Your new movie is an acidic comedy about political revenge, inspired by real stories that Panahi He heard during the period in which he was detained. The work mixes humor and social criticism, exploring political repression in Iran with subtlety and irony, trademarks of its filmography. Cannes jury highlighted the “aesthetic courage and politics”From the film, recognizing the importance of its trajectory.

When does the news debut?

The simple accident There is no premiere forecast, however, Mubi is the owner of the feature’s distribution rights in Latin America, so the news is expected to arrive soon here.

Also read:The secret agent, Brazilian film awarded Cannes, will run for Oscar 2026?

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