Jafar Panahi's latest film, It Was Just An Accident, had two nominations at this year's Oscars.
Panahi has frequently been in the crosshairs of Iranian authorities.
Despite threats, he chose to return to Iran.
Celebrated Iranian director Jafar Panahi, winner of the 2025 Cannes Palme d'Or, faces a five-year and one-month prison term following a recent verdict by a Tehran Revolutionary Court, as reported by reformist media in Iran.
He recently learned of a fresh court order when he discovered his bank accounts were blocked, according to his attorney, Mostafa Nili. Alongside a directive seizing all his real estate and personal property, the discretionary ruling imposes a two-year travel and social media ban; whether the prison component will be enforced remains uncertain. The specific allegations underlying this latest judgment haven't been disclosed.
Panahi has repeatedly attracted the ire and censure of Iranian officials, particularly after being slapped with a 20-year film-making ban back in 2010. Undeterred, he continued to clandestinely direct politically charged projects, including his latest work. These illicit productions previously triggered a one-year sentence for anti-state propaganda, which was affirmed in June. Although he previously served seven months following anti-government demonstrations, Panahi's international prominence in world cinema has largely insulated him from serving full terms for his unauthorized creative work.
“I am the kind of person who needs to be in his country,” Panahi insisted to Variety. “I need to breathe there and work there. And even if they want to go ahead with that prison sentence, they can go ahead. Nothing will change my mind about going back.”
His filmography features celebrated works like The Circle, Offside, This Is Not a Film, Taxi, and No Bears.
Following his arrest in 2022 over a filmmaker-led demonstration, Panahi was detained for roughly seven months. His restriction on making movies was eventually rescinded in April 2023, paving the way for him to head to Cannes to premiere It Was Just an Accident.
Panahi is one of only four filmmakers to win the Palme D’Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. He won the Golden Lion in 2000 for his film The Circle and the Golden Bear in 2015 for Taxi.
