Jafar Panahi sentenced to one year in prison in Iran

A few hours before being crowned at the Gotham Awards, The director of A Simple Accident was condemned in his country.

The Iranian director, Palme d’Or at Cannes last May for A simple accidentwas sentenced to one year in prison in Iran, in absentia, according to his lawyer cited by AFP.

Mostafa Nili specifies that the sentence is accompanied by a two-year travel ban and a ban on joining any political or social group. An appeal must be filed.

“We will take the necessary legal steps to appeal this decision” said Jafar Panahi’s lawyer, who did not give the exact nature of the charges against his client, concerning “propaganda activities” against the State, without further details.

According to American journalist Roger Friedman, Panahi plans to return to Tehran after the awards season, and to deal with his sentence. A surprising choice when we know that he has already been imprisoned in Iran. One of its producers explains simply: “The Iranians are very loyal. And his family is there, he wants to be home.”

Panahi had already spent 86 days in prison in 2022. He was arrested when he went to the prosecutor’s office to ask about Mohammad Rasoulof, another filmmaker arrested a few months earlier after a demonstration. He was only released from Evin prison after a hunger strike.

Ironically, last night, a few hours after his conviction, Jafar Panahi won three prizes at the Gotham Awards – the American independent cinema ceremony – for A simple accident : best international film, best director and best original screenplay.

He must go to the Marrakech Festival on Thursday, where A simple accident is projected, before participating in a discussion on stage. Having lived in France for months, he was chosen to represent France at the Oscars in the international film category (since produced and financed by France). He is considered a serious candidate for numerous statuettes. Next March, Jafar Panahi could therefore experience a professional triumph, then return home and be incarcerated for many months in Iran for his art…