'Cutting Through Rocks,' 'It Was...': War-torn Iran seeks Oscar glory
What's the story
As Iran continues to be embroiled in a catastrophic conflict with Israel and the USA, the country has pinned its hopes on the magical, transformative power of art. Several Iranians have been nominated for this year's Oscars. Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident is nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay (Panahi, Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian). Other nominees include Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni's documentary Cutting Through Rocks, and Marty Supreme cinematographer Darius Khondji.
Clashing feelings
'As I'm speaking to you now, my mind and heart...'
Panahi's It Was Just an Accident explores the trauma of state repression. The director had a chat with CNN in January, when protests had erupted around Iran, as he was busy promoting his film. He said, "As I'm speaking to you now, my mind and heart are there (Tehran)." In another interview, he told NBC News he was stuck in traffic en route to the Golden Globes, watching footage of a Tehran morgue filled with protesters' bodies.
Panahi on country's state
Panahi on the lack of artistic freedom in Iran
Panahi, who appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently, talked about Iran's tumultuous political environment. He said, "If you say one hundredth of what you said [here] in Iran, the sentence would be execution." "Because in our films, we don't get to one-hundredth of what you said here. There are many Iranian filmmakers right now who are in prison, and in the past two months, during the protests, one of our filmmaker friends got killed on the streets."
Panahi
Know more about Panahi and his film
Panahi was earlier banned by the Iranian government from making films for several years. In 2025, It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This was his third major European film festival win after Berlin's Golden Bear for Taxi and Venice's Golden Lion for The Circle. Back then, he told Screen Daily, "No matter if I am banned or not...I do not wish to make the kind of films they want me to make."
Documentary focus
'The only thing that gives me hope...'
Meanwhile, Khaki and Eyni's documentary Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi, a midwife in rural northwestern Iran who has emerged as a vocal advocate for women in her community. Before the ongoing war broke out, Eyni told CNN, "The only thing that gives me hope about the future of our country is its people, people like Sara Shahverdi in the film, and people like Sara Khaki behind the camera."
Cinematography recognition
Khondji's journey from Tehran to Hollywood
Khondji, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Timothee Chalamet-starrer Marty Supreme, was born in Tehran before establishing a career in European and American cinema. The film is set in New York and follows an ambitious young table tennis prodigy who dreams of becoming the best player in the world. The 98th Academy Awards are all set to take place on March 16 (per IST). Sinners leads the nominations with 16 nods, with Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jessie Buckley eyeing acting awards.