The film “It was just an accident”directed by the Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, won the Palme d’Or trophy at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the jury of the Cruise competition announced on Saturday, reports the official website of the event.
The film was made in clandestinity photo capture video
The 64 -year -old dissident Iranian filmmaker was able to come to Cannes for the first time after a break of 15 years and receive this prize in person. His new film examines the dilemma of former prisoners and directly criticizes the abusive behavior of Iran’s security forces, being a reflection on justice and avenging in front of the arbitration, according to Agerpres.
Film made in clandestinity
The movie “It was just an accident”made in clandestinity, is a thriller whereby director Jafar Panahi criticizes the political regime in Tehran. Equally powered by anger and absurd humor, this dramatic feature presents the adventures of the Vahid character, played by Vahid Mobasseri, the kidnapper of a man who wears a foot prosthesis and who looks great with the guard to tortured in prison and destroyed his life. Vahid then tries to verify with other prisoners if the person he kidnapped is his torturer.
The director of the film, sent twice to prison in Iran, a country he was not allowed to leave until recently, promised that he would return to Tehran after this festival despite the risks of being subjected to new reprisals. No one knows what fate the authorities from Tehran will reserve after this 11th feature film.
At the same time, Jafar Panahi made the movie “It was just an accident” without requesting a filming permit from the Iranian authorities. In addition, several of his actresses violated Iran’s laws and appeared in this film without carrying the Islamic veil.
“I think the time has come to ask all people, to all the Iranians, with all the different opinions of others, anywhere in the world, in Iran or elsewhere, I allow myself to ask for one thing: to set aside (…) All the problems, all the differences, the most important thing at this time is our country and it is the freedom of our country.”he said on Saturday night in Farsi, according to the translation offered by the organizers of the Cannes Festival.
“What matters most is that the movie was done. I didn’t take time to think about what could happen. I’m alive as long as I make movies.”he told AFP on Tuesday.
Boiling the Palme D’Or trophy, the president of the Cannes jury this year, the French actress Juliette Binoche, evoked the vocation of artists “To transform the darkness into forgiveness.”
“Art mobilizes the creative energy of the most precious and living parts of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life.”said Juliette Binoche.
Since 2010, Jafar Panahi has not been able to leave their native country to travel to the big European cinematic festivals, whose organizers have given numerous prestigious rewards-two gold bear in Berlin, three prizes in Cannes and a prize in Venice.
Marginal and young talents
In 2024, the Palme d’Or trophy was attributed to the feature film “Anora”, directed by the American filmmaker Sean Baker.
This year, the track record does not include any American film, and the big productions beyond the Atlantic, as “Eddington”by Ari Aster and with Joaquin Phoenix on the poster, or “Die, my love”by Lynne Ramsay, with Jennifer Lawrence in distribution, did not win any prize.
The 2025 jury, which included American actors Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong among its members, privileged films located on the edge of the big circuits of the film industry, as well as young talents.
Among the latter was Nadia Melliti. The 23 -year -old French actress won the female interpretation prize at Cannes although she was in her first role in the film, the one in the movie “At Petite Dernière”directed by Hafsia Herzi.
Student at the Faculty of Sport and noted at a casting, Nadia Melliti said that SA “Identified a lot” With her character, Fatima, a 17 -year -old Muslim young woman, the daughter of Algerian immigrants from Paris, who discovers her homosexuality. The film represents a cinematic adaptation of the homonymous novel published by Fatima Daas in 2020.
The movie “The Secret Agent”directed by the Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, won two trophies: the director’s award and the male interpretation award, attributed to actor Wagner Mora, 48 years old, known outside Brazil after playing the drug dealer Pablo Escobar in the series “Narcos”produced by Netflix. The movie “The Secret Agent” It is a political thriller with an action that takes place in the city of Recife, Brazil, in the 1970s.
The great jury prize was won by the Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier with the movie “Sentimental Value”a comedy with dramatic accents about two sisters, Nora and Agnes, who, after the death of their mother, want to resume the connection with their father, with whom they did not keep in touch.
Franco-Spaniolul Oliver Laxi and German cinest Mascha Schilinski won the ex aequo jury prize. They were rewarded for the movie “Sirat”a captivating story about a disappearance after a rave party, respectively for the production “The Sound of Falling”, which explores a century of family trauma presenting the destinies of a group of four women.
The Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Septuagenari and some of the most award-winning filmmakers in the Cannes Festival’s history have won a new trophy, the script award, which was assigned to the movie. “Jeunes mères”what the story of five young people and their children who live in a social center tells. The Belgian filmmakers won this award in 2008, also with a social film, “Le Silence de Lorna”.
The D’Or’s camera trophy for the best debut feature was given to the film “The President’s Cake”directed by Hasan Hadi, while a special mention of the camera d’O or was given to the film “My Father’s Shadow”, by Akinola Davies Jr.
Palme d’Or for short film returned this year to production “I’m glad you’re dead now”directed by Tawfeek Barhom.
The Cannes 2025 festival had a political tone. The event wanted to be an echo of conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and was marked by strong and employed statements, starting with the hard criticisms by American actor Robert by American President Donald Trump during the opening ceremony. Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington were rewarded with trophies of honorary.
The 78th award gala on the cruise was held at the Palace of Festivals and Congresses in Cannes. The master of ceremonies was the French actor Laurent Lafitte. The jury of the official competition was chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche.
