Amidst international acclaim, Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison by Iranian authorities. The sentence, accompanied by a two-year travel ban and restrictions on joining political and social groups, was handed down on charges of "propaganda activities against the system". This news arrived as Panahi was in New York City to receive three Gotham Awards for his film, "It Was Just an Accident".
Panahi's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, announced the sentence on X, stating that an appeal would be filed. The acclaimed director, known for films like "The White Balloon," "The Circle," and "Taxi," has faced repeated imprisonment, travel bans, and house arrest over the past two decades.
"It Was Just an Accident," which also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, earned Panahi Gotham Awards for Best Feature, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Film. The film tells the story of five Iranians confronting a man they believe tortured them in jail. Because the characters were blindfolded while jailed, they struggle to be sure of their assuser's identity. The movie has been selected as France's official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Panahi, 65, has not yet commented on the sentence, and it remains unclear whether he intends to return to Iran. While accepting the Gotham Award, Panahi dedicated the award to independent filmmakers around the world, particularly those "who have been deprived of the right to see and to be seen but continue to create and to exist".
Panahi secretly filmed "It Was Just an Accident" in Iran after previously spending seven months in prison, a sentence that concluded in 2023 following a hunger strike. He has stated that the film draws inspiration from the stories of his fellow prisoners.
This is not the first time Panahi has been targeted by the Iranian government. In 2010, he received a six-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban on filmmaking after being convicted of "making propaganda against the system," though he was released on bail after two months. His 2011 documentary, "This Is Not a Film," was famously smuggled into the Cannes Film Festival on a flash drive hidden inside a cake.
The recent sentencing has sparked international concern and further highlights the challenges faced by artists in Iran. Some observers are drawing parallels to the case of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who returned to Russia knowing imprisonment awaited him.
