A prison sentence also includes a two-year travel ban and prohibition from joining any political or social groups, detailed attorney Mostafa Nili, who plans to appeal the decision.
Jafar Panahi is currently outside Iran, as he has been on an international tour presenting his latest film “It Was Only an Accident,” which included a stop in Lisbon in early November at Cinema Ideal.
Jafar Panahi, known for his critical stance against the Tehran regime, managed to leave Iran this past May, marking his first departure in 15 years. He presented “It Was Only an Accident” at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where the film was awarded the Palme d’Or.
“It Was Only an Accident” is a moral thriller examining the dilemma of former detainees tempted to take revenge on their torturer, directly addressing the arbitrary nature of security forces. The film serves as a reflection on justice and vengeance in the face of arbitrariness.
In his acceptance speech at Cannes, Jafar Panahi called for freedom in Iran: “I think it is time to urge all people, all Iranians, with all different opinions, anywhere in the world, to put aside (…) all problems, all differences. The most important thing at this moment is our country and its freedom.”
At 65, Jafar Panahi is the only director to have won the top prize at the four most prestigious film festivals globally: the Palme d’Or at Cannes with “It Was Only an Accident,” the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin festival with “Taxi,” the Golden Lion at the Venice festival in 2000 with “The Circle,” and the Golden Leopard at Locarno (Switzerland) in 1997 with “The Mirror.”
In July 2022, Jafar Panahi was detained in Iran after appearing in court to support the case of another Iranian director, Mohammad Rasoulof, amidst protests against the Iranian government.
Following this detention, authorities reactivated a six-year prison sentence originally declared against Panahi in 2010, along with a 20-year travel ban, for “propaganda against the regime.”
Although the Iranian Supreme Court overturned this sentence months later and ordered a new trial, Jafar Panahi remained detained and was only released after initiating a hunger strike and posting bail.
In a candid interview with AFP in May, during his appearance at Cannes, Panahi stated, “I am alive as long as I make films.”
