Following his mentor Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi became the second Iranian filmmaker to win the 78th Cannes Film Festival's most prestigious award, the Palm d’Or, for his film It Was Just An Accident.
With this win, he became the only Iranian director and one of only four international filmmakers (others are Robert Altman, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Henri-Georges Clouzot) to reach the highest awards at three major European film festivals: Berlin, Cannes, and Venice.
Panahi wrote, directed, and co-produced It Was Just an Accident (the other producer was Philippe Martin for Les Films Pelléas in Paris). The film had its world premiere on 20 May.
The film's plot follows a revenge thriller. It begins with a small family driving a car. An accident occurs, and the family seeks help at a garage.
The garage's owner suspects that the one-legged family man is the intelligence officer who tortured him in prison, leading to a series of tense reactions.
Haunted by his past, the garage owner impulsively kidnaps the one-legged man in his van, intending to bury him alive in the desert.
However, after having some doubts about his victim’s identity, he embarks on a journey to get confirmation from former fellow prisoners, whom the same man had also tortured.
The film stars Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, and Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr.
Although Panahi's path to Cannes' highest recognition was filled with challenges, his perseverance paid off with many recognitions.
Earlier in his career, Panahi worked as an assistant director on Kiarostami's 1994 film Through the Olive Trees.
Kiarostami was the first Iranian to win the Palme d’Or, which he received for his 1997 film Taste of Cherry.
This collaboration was significant in Panahi's cinematic journey, and it was followed by his debut feature, The White Balloon, with the script penned by Kiarostami.
The film won the Caméra d'Or (1995), which marked the first major win by an Iranian film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Panahi’s name has made headlines several times over the past 15 years, and this is not due to his creative journey but rather the political stances reflected in his art.
Panahi’s films often explore themes of social injustice and political oppression in Iran.
In 2010, he was arrested and charged with producing propaganda against the Iranian government.
Subsequently, he was sentenced to six years in prison and banned for 20 years from directing films, writing screenplays, or giving interviews to Iranian or foreign media.
Panahi challenged his sentence and continued to make films secretly, winning Venice’s Golden Lion for The Circle in 2000.
While banned from travelling, Panahi’s 2011 documentary This Is Not a Film was smuggled out of Iran on a flash drive hidden inside a cake and shown at Cannes in 2011.
His film Taxi won Berlin's Golden Bear in 2015, 3 Faces won Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2018, and No Bears scooped Venice’s Special Jury Prize in 2022.
Panahi finally had the opportunity to watch the premiere of It Was Just An Accident alongside the audience at Cannes. Thus, the film testifies to his perseverance and faith in cinema.
“Cinema is a society, nobody is entitled to tell us what we should do or refrain from doing,” Panahi said during the Cannes award ceremony.
“Let’s set aside all problems, all differences. What matters most right now is our country and the freedom of our country,” he added.
During the subsequent press conference, Panahi shared the first thought that came to his mind when he was called to the podium as a Palme d’Or winner: “I could see the faces of all my friends in prison.”
“I think people in Iranian cinema had to fight hard to reach this point. All my colleagues have worked in more difficult situations than I have—at a time when nobody in the world knew about Iranian cinema,” the filmmaker said, insisting not to view his awards as personal achievements.
Though the ban on Panahi was lifted recently, he filmed It Was Just An Accident secretly, without an official filming permit from the Iranian authorities, and with a minimal cast and crew.
In addition, the actresses in the film do not wear the hijab, which is still compulsory for women under the law in Iran.
Filmmakers in Iran are requested to submit their scripts to the Ministry of Culture for official approval before filming; without this authorization, they cannot proceed with production.
“My method of work hasn’t changed since the ban was lifted, because the films I want to make don’t necessarily follow the legal process for making a film in Iran,” Panahi explained.
During the 15-year ban, Panahi made 10 films, most featuring him as the main character (No Bears, Taxi, and 3 Faces).
“Being banned from filmmaking was a huge shock; I had to react. I only know how to make films. I had to film in secret, and I had no choice but to be introspective and make the camera see everything from my point of view, turning it on myself,” Panahi said during the press conference.
Following its Palme d’Or win, It Was Just An Accident will be theatrically released in France on 10 September 2025.
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