Iran has called for an official explanation from the French government over a comment made by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, after di
Iran has called for an official explanation from the French government over a comment made by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, after dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d’Or on Saturday (May 24) for his film It Was Just An Accident.
Barrot posted on X saying Panahi’s win was a “a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime’s oppression”.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mohammad Tanhaei then criticised Barrot’s “insulting remarks and unfounded allegations,” according to a report in Iranian state media, PressTV.
The report also said that during a meeting with the French envoy in Tehran held on Sunday (May 25), Tanhaei called Barrot’s comments “blatant interference” in the country’s internal affairs.
Tanhaei described Barrot’s message as “irresponsible and provocative” and said France had “no moral authority at all” to comment on Iran, citing what he called France’s failure to support Palestinians in Gaza, and demanding an “official explanation” from the French government. Screen has contacted the French government for comment.
Panahi’s drama It Was Just An Accident was inspired by his time in prison and was filmed in secret in Iran. It follows a man, his heavily pregnant wife, and their juvenile daughter as they get into a minor car accident that sets off a gloomy chain of events and shows scenes of torture in Iranian jails.
During his Palme d’Or acceptance speech, Panahi addressed “all Iranians, with different opinions, in Iran and around the world”. He said: “The most important thing is our country and the freedom of our country. Let’s arrive at this moment, together, when no one dares to say what we should wear, what we should or shouldn’t do.”
Panahi posted on Instagram on Monday (May 26) a picture of himself and his It Was Just An Accident team with the caption “The passengers are returning home.” According to BBC reports, he has landed back in Tehran, and was greeted with a sultry reception at the airport by a crowd including Iranian filmmaker Medhi Nadari. Cannes was Panahi’s first appearance at an international film festival in 15 years, and his first film since his release from prison.
Panahi was prevented from travelling by the Iranian government in 2009 after he attended the funeral of a student killed during the country’s Green Revolution, later attempting to make a film themed around the uprising.
The following year, Panahi’s request to travel to the Berlinale – where he had been invited to sit on a panel about Iranian cinema – was denied and he was later arrested and given a six-year suspended prison sentence and 20-year ban on travel and filmmaking for criticising the Iranian government. He served two months in prison before being granted a conditional release.
Despite the ban on filmmaking, he continued to make features such as This Is Not A Film, which was smuggled out of the country and screened at Cannes in 2011, with Panahi awarded the Carrosse d’Or. His drama No Bears played in Competition at Venice in 2022 and won a special jury prize.
Panahi was arrested in Tehran in July 2022 and ordered to serve the six-year sentence after going to the prosecutors’ office with colleagues and lawyers to inquire about the earlier arrest of Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. In February 2023 he was released from jail.
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