His film, A simple accident made an impression at Cannes in May. Iranian justice has sentenced dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison for “propaganda activities” against the state, his lawyer announced on Monday.
This sentence is accompanied by a two-year travel ban, said Mr. Mostafa Nili, adding that he intended to appeal.
The 65-year-old director, who was imprisoned twice, won the prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year for his film A simple accident. The political thriller was also inspired by his meetings in Iranian jails. Released in theaters on October 1, A simple accident had been filmed clandestinely in Iran. At the beginning of 2026, the film will represent France in Los Angeles, during the Oscars.
Diplomatic crisis
A diplomatic skirmish broke out after the Cannes Film Festival, between France and Iran. “In a gesture of resistance against the oppression of the Iranian regime, Jafar Panahi takes home a Palme d’Or which revives hope for all freedom fighters everywhere in the world,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, then greeted on X. “Insulting comments and unfounded allegations,” Tehran responded by summoning the French Chargé d’affaires to the Iranian capital.
“When you make films like this, you know there is a price to pay. It could be prison, or a thousand other things. If they send me to detention, it will give me new stories to act out. “, declared Jafar Panahi in an interview with France Inter. “The regime has already started to collapse. It is an empty shell that will eventually crack, and the Iranian people will witness this collapse. »