Jafar Panahi got a standing ovation. The jury, led by French actress Juliette Binoche, had just named his thriller It Was Just an Accident the winner of the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which closed on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
The film is a strong critique of oppression in Iran. Panahi, 64, spoke briefly in Persian and dedicated the win to all the artists who have been involuntarily deported from Iran. He said he hoped they might return to make films at home one day.
A director Iran tried to silence
Iranian authorities have arrested and jailed Panahi more than once for speaking out, and his films are banned there. He could not leave the country until 2023. A 20-year filmmaking ban imposed in 2010 for “propagandizing against the government” did not stop him from making films anyway.
This was his first Cannes appearance in more than two decades. He was last there in person in 2003, when Crimson Gold screened.
The other prizes
Nadia Melliti won best actress for The Little Sister, and Wagner Moura took best actor for The Secret Agent. Kleber Mendonça Filho was named best director for the same film. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value took the Grand Prix.
The ceremony came hours after a regional power cut threatened the final day. The grid operator RTE said the outage hit 160,000 homes in the Cannes area, disrupted morning screenings and shut local businesses. French police were investigating a possible arson attack as the main cause.
Gaza and the festival
The festival ran from May 13 to 24, with Laurent Lafitte as host of the opening and closing ceremonies. The shadow of a death in Gaza hung over the opening. Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, a main subject of Sepideh Farsi’s documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, was killed on April 16 along with ten members of her family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Gaza City. That was one day after the ACID selection was announced.
Cannes issued a statement of condolences that criticized the war and violence in Gaza. On opening day, more than 350 directors, actors and producers signed a letter condemning the killing. Among them were Jonathan Glazer, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg and Aki Kaurismäki. “We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” the letter said.
Sources
- Iranian director Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just An Accident' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
- 2025 Cannes Film Festival – Wikipedia
