Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Returns To Iran

Renowned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi returned to Iran on Tuesday (March 31) after travelling abroad for an international awards campaign, according to a report in Iran International. He was facing a one-year prison sentence, a two-year travel ban, and other restrictions imposed by authorities.

The Palme d'Or winner entered the country by land via Turkey due to flight restrictions, the sources informed the publication.

The filmmaker had been outside Iran to promote his film It Was Just an Accident (2025), for which he won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May 2025 and received nominations at the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film (submitted by France) and Best Original Screenplay.

Earlier, Panahi had said he would return to Iran after the Oscar campaign despite risks. “As soon as the campaign ends, I will return to Iran,” he had said in a February interview.

The Iranian filmmaker, whose work has always spoken against the violence and repression in Iran, recently condemned it. He also urged Hollywood and the global film community to speak out.

While speaking at the National Board of Review Awards Gala on January 13, 2026, Panahi accepted the Best International Film honour for It Was Just an Accident, a film he shot secretly in Iran.

During his acceptance speech, The White Balloon director said the situation in his country was a massacre.

"The Islamic Republic has caused a bloodbath to delay its collapse," Panahi said at the ceremony, as reported by TheWrap. "Bodies are piling up on bodies, and those who have survived are searching for signs of their loved ones through mountains of corpses."

"This is no longer a metaphor. This is not a story. This is not a film. This is a reality ridden with bullets, day after day," he continued, adding, "In accepting this award, I consider it my duty to call on artists and members of the global film community to speak out and not remain silent."

In December, Panahi had been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison by the Iranian Revolutionary Court. He was also imposed a two-year travel ban on charges of "propaganda against the state".