At the Cannes Film Festival, the "Golden Palm" was awarded to Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi for the thriller "It Was Just an Accident". This is reported by Associated Press (AP), reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that the award was presented to Jafar Panahi by actress Cate Blanchett. On stage, Panahi said that the most important thing for him is freedom in his country and called to "join forces".
No one should dare to tell us what clothes to wear, what to do and what not to do. Cinema is a society. No one has the right to tell us what we should do and what we should not
According to AP, the director was imprisoned in Iran three years ago, after which he announced a hunger strike. For the past 15 years, he has been secretly making films at home, including the film "This Is Not a Film", shot in his living room, and "Taxi", which takes place inside a car.
Panahi was arrested in Evin prison in Tehran when he came to inquire about the condition of his friend Rasulof, who was then in prison. In 2023, he was released after he went on a hunger strike. In 2009, he was banned from leaving Iran because he was at the funeral of a student who died during the Green Movement protests. Panahi continued to secretly make films in Iran without official permission, and his works were illegally transported to festivals via USB drives. The ban on leaving the country was lifted in 2023.
In 2024, director Mohammad Rasulof left Iran to attend the premiere of his film in Cannes and move to Germany. However, Panahi said that life in exile is not for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday.
Recall
Cannes, where the world-famous annual film festival takes place, and parts of the south of France have been affected by power outages, and police are investigating a possible arson attack.