The Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN) proudly congratulates Jafar Panahi on receiving the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for his courageous and brilliant film It Was Just an Accident. His artistry and unyielding moral clarity have once again given voice to a silenced nation.
Panahi’s words resonate far beyond the cinematic stage:
“How can I rejoice? How can I be free while in Iran, there are still so many of the greatest directors and actresses of Iranian cinema, who, because they participated in and supported the demonstrators during the Femme Liberté movement, are today prevented from working?”
In an interview with the Associated Press, he added:
“This prize is not just mine. It belongs to all those who are in prison, to all those who have struggled, to all those who gave their lives for freedom.”
And perhaps most starkly, Panahi captured the growing urgency of the moment:
“I think ultimately violence will be inevitable… The longer they remain and the more pressure they put on the people…”
FISN honors Panahi not only as an acclaimed filmmaker but as a truth-teller and conscience of a nation. His voice, forged in censorship and repression, speaks for millions. We stand in solidarity with him and with all those who fight for a free, democratic, and just Iran.