Iran jails Cannes-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi for a year
What's the story
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, 65, who recently bagged the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Tehran court. The ruling was delivered in absentia and includes a two-year travel ban and a prohibition on joining any political or social organizations, reported AFP. His lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed that they plan to appeal against the sentence.
Legal details
Charges against Panahi include 'propaganda activities' against the state
The charges against Panahi, who's currently outside Iran, include engaging in "propaganda activities" against the state. This ruling comes months after Panahi's latest movie, It Was Just an Accident, won the top prize at the 2025 Cannes. Panahi won Best Director at the 35th Gotham Awards for the same film on Tuesday. The film features five former inmates who contemplate revenge on a man they believe to be their ex-jailer, a story widely interpreted as a metaphor for state repression.
Past convictions
Panahi's history of legal troubles and artistic defiance
Panahi has a long history of legal troubles with the Iranian regime. In 2010, he was convicted of "propaganda against the system" and sentenced to six years in prison. He was also given a 20-year ban on filmmaking, international travel, and media appearances for openly supporting anti-government protests in 2009. Despite these restrictions, he continued to create movies such as This Is Not a Film (2011) and Taxi (2015), which were made under severe limitations but still achieved international acclaim.