SYDNEY, January 28, 2025 — Jafar Panahi, the Iranian filmmaker whose work fearlessly challenges the status quo, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 for his latest film, It Was Just an Accident. The darkly comic film, already generating Oscar buzz, offers a gripping exploration of justice, revenge, and the blurred lines between them.
A Chance Encounter Interrupted
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The acclaimed director’s latest work was born from a harrowing real-life event—a bombing raid on Tehran during a scheduled interview.
The opportunity to speak with Panahi was already significant. One of the world’s most important filmmakers, he previously won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale for 2015’s Taxi Tehran and a special jury prize at Venice for 2022’s No Bears. But our meeting in June last year during the Sydney Film Festival, where It Was Just an Accident also claimed the Sydney Film Prize, took an unexpected turn.
Panahi had been flown into Sydney “under the radar” shortly after Iran lifted a ban on his travel. As I entered a room at the Park Royal Darling Harbour, his son, Panah Panahi—himself a filmmaker known for Hit the Road—urgently called his father with devastating news: Israel had just begun bombing Tehran. The interview was immediately cancelled, leaving me shaken.
Remarkably, Panahi rescheduled the conversation for the following day, demonstrating the resilience that defines his life and work. “I have faith that change has happened,” he said, reflecting on the shifting political landscape in Iran, which has been rocked by recent waves of protest. “I want to pass that faith to my audiences.”
A Filmmaker Defiant
Panahi’s films are banned in Iran, where the leadership accuses him of “propaganda against the system” for his socially conscious and often darkly humorous storytelling. He endured house arrest and imprisonment in 2010 for his art, yet refuses to be silenced. In December 2025, he was tried in absentia on “propaganda activities” charges, facing a year in prison and a renewed travel ban.
The screenplay for It Was Just an Accident is deeply personal, drawn from Panahi’s own traumatic experience of being interrogated while blindfolded during his imprisonment. “When you are interrogated, blindfolded, your sense of hearing sharpens,” he explained. “You become so sensitive to the sound of the person behind you, and you get curious about who they are. How old is he? How tall?”
The film centers on a group of individuals—mechanic Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), photographer Shiva (Mariam Afshari), and newlyweds Goli and Ali (Hadis Pakbaten and Majid Panahi)—who form an unlikely alliance. They kidnap Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), a man they believe to be their former interrogator, and grapple with what to do with him.
The film’s tension is heightened by a seemingly minor detail: Eghbal’s prosthetic leg. The squeak of the prosthetic on polished floors becomes a haunting reminder of the past. “The person who interrogated me, the noise of his walking didn’t really bother me,” Panahi revealed. “But I wanted that sound to replace his voice, and to be so recognizable in the movie.”
That sound becomes a symbol of paranoia and uncertainty. “His footsteps are a kind of dilemma,” Panahi says. “Is it real, that sound? Or is it in the person’s head?” The film also raises a disturbing question: what if the kidnapped man is innocent?
“This is the question that I keep asking myself, and I don’t have any answer,” Panahi admits. “You’re not going to think twice about whether it’s the right thing to do or not. You’re going to react spontaneously, regardless of the consequences.”
Filming Under Pressure
Spontaneity is crucial to Panahi’s filmmaking process, as his films are made without official permits. “That was easier when we were in the back of the van, because nobody could see the camera and we were more relaxed,” he said. “When we had to leave the van, that was much scarier. We had to shoot fast, under the same stress as being interrogated. That feeling bleeds into the film.”
Despite the risks, Panahi remains committed to his craft and plans to return to Iran to face the consequences of his work. He finds renewed strength in the courage of the women who took to the streets following the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab rules.
“Prior to this movement, I probably would have thought twice about or been scared of making such a film. But I draw strength from my society telling me that now it is time to do it.”
Panahi also celebrates the bravery of the actors in It Was Just an Accident—Mariam Afshari and Hadis Pakbaten—who appear on screen without wearing hijabs, risking severe repercussions. “Any professional actor would have been banned from working again,” he said. “But they supported the movement. The hijab is the red line for our ideological and religious government.”
“The women of the country, many are no longer wearing a headscarf. And every day, regardless of the warning and the penalties, they will do the same thing.”
It Was Just an Accident is in Australian cinemas from January 29.
