Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi was awarded the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for "A Simple Accident", a bold, underground film critical of Iran’s security forces and justice system.
Jafar Panahi © FID
Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi was awarded the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for "A Simple Accident", a bold, underground film critical of Iran’s security forces and justice system.
It marks a major return for the 64-year-old director, who attended Cannes for the first time in 15 years.
In an emotional speech, Panahi called for unity among Iranians, declaring, “What matters now is our country and its freedom.” Filmed secretly without official permits, A Simple Accident features actresses without veils and directly challenges the power of the Iranian state. Despite facing potential repercussions, Panahi has vowed to return to Iran.
He becomes the second Iranian filmmaker to win the Palme, after Abbas Kiarostami in 1997. Last year, fellow Iranian dissident Mohammad Rasoulof received only a special prize before remaining in exile.
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