Tehran, Iran – Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi returned to Tehran on Monday to a warm welcome from fans after winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film, It Was Just an Accident. The victory has stirred a diplomatic row between France and Iran.
Panahi arrived at Imam Khomeini International Airport early in the morning. Supporters greeted him with flowers and applause, as seen in videos shared on social media. The 64-year-old director hugged friends and smiled as he descended the escalator from passport control.
The celebration comes amid rising tensions after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot praised Panahi’s win on social media. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Barrot described the award as “a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime’s oppression.”
Iran responded sharply to the remarks. “I am not an art expert, but we believe that artistic events and art in general should not be exploited to pursue political objectives,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.
Panahi, a longtime critic of Iran’s government, was previously jailed twice for alleged “propaganda against the state.” He had been banned from filmmaking, giving interviews, or leaving the country for over 14 years. That travel ban was lifted in April 2023, allowing him to attend Cannes in person for the first time.
It Was Just an Accident tells the story of former political prisoners who kidnap a man they believe once tortured them. Panahi told Variety that the film was inspired by his own time in prison. With this win, he has now received top honors at all three major European film festivals—Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. He previously won Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2015 for Taxi and Venice’s Golden Lion in 2000 for The Circle.
Despite the international recognition, Iran’s domestic media has offered limited coverage of the Cannes victory. The state news agency IRNA published a story with the headline “The world’s largest film festival made history for Iranian cinema,” along with a photo of Panahi. However, major English-language outlets such as the Tehran Times and Iran Daily made no mention of the award on Sunday.
Panahi’s Cannes success marks a milestone in Iranian cinema but also highlights ongoing tensions between artistic freedom and state control in the country.
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