Iranian film wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has won the Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for his film 'It Was Just an Accident'. This marks Panahi's first Palme d'Or and makes him one of the few directors to have won top honors at all three major European film festivals—Venice, Berlin, and Cannes.
The film, a politically charged thriller, follows a garage owner who kidnaps a man he believes tortured him in prison. As the story unfolds, the protagonist and other former prisoners grapple with questions of revenge and justice.
Panahi, who had been banned from filmmaking and leaving Iran for over 15 years, attended the Cannes festival in person for the first time since 2003. In his acceptance speech, he dedicated the award to the people of Iran, expressing hope for a future where "no one will tell us what to wear or not wear, what to do or not do."
The Cannes jury, led by Juliette Binoche, praised the film for its human and political resonance.
Other notable winners at the festival included Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (Grand Prix), Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent (Best Director), and Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister (Best Actress).
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