Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Sentenced in Absentia (Source: Le Monde)
Iran has sentenced Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi to a year in prison, plus a two-year travel ban and a restriction forbidding him from joining any political or social organizations, his lawyer confirmed on Monday. Lawyer Mostafa Nili said the charges against Panahi include "propaganda activities" against the state, but he would not elaborate. He also said Panahi is currently outside Iran, and that they intend to appeal the sentence.
The 65-year-old director won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival recently for his film It Was Just an Accident. The movie follows five ex-inmates who debate whether to take revenge on a man they believe was their former jailer.
Last month, Panahi embarked on a tour across the United States - including Los Angeles, New York, and Telluride - to promote his latest film, also France's official nomination for the Academy Awards. It is widely expected to make the shortlist for Best International Feature at the Oscars in March.
Iranian media covered his Cannes win, publishing pictures of the director alongside reports of his achievement. Panahi previously received several awards at European film festivals and first gained international recognition at Cannes in 1995 with his debut The White Balloon, which won Best First Feature.
He had repeatedly been placed under restrictions in Iran due to his critical stance on its government. In 2010, Panahi had been banned from filmmaking and traveling abroad after voicing support for mass anti-government protests and making films that criticized modern Iran.
He was convicted of “propaganda against the system” and sentenced to six years in prison, though he served only two months before being released on bail. A year after receiving a 20-year ban on filmmaking, he smuggled a documentary entitled This is Not a Film to Cannes hidden on a flash drive inside a cake.
In 2015, his film Taxi - filmed wholly inside a taxi with Panahi playing the role of the driver - was released internationally. In 2022, he was arrested again in connection with protests by a group of filmmakers and released after almost seven months in detention.
Filmmakers, journalists, and celebrities are closely monitored in Iran, with their work scrutinized for material considered critical of the Islamic Republic. Last year, multi-award-winning director Mohammad Rasoulof fled Iran to avoid a prison sentence for charges of “collusion against national security.” The latest conviction underlines the ongoing challenges faced by the artist community in Iran, even as its members continue to win international accolades.
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