Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to try and confirm Eghbal's identity. Master filmmaker Jafar Panahi creates a deeply felt moral thriller, where high stakes tension combines with unexpected flurries of humor and thoughtful, sometimes devastating questions regarding persecution and revenge. Winner, Palme D'Or, 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been given a prison sentence on charges of creating propaganda against the political system, his lawyer has said, on the same day his new film won a string of awards in the US. Panahi has been handed a one-year sentence and a travel ban in Iran, his lawyer said on Monday. However, he was in New York to pick up three prizes, including best director, at the Gotham Awards for his latest film, It Was Just An Accident, which he shot illegally in Iran.
Panahi, 65, has served two previous spells in prison in his home country, and said in an interview shortly before receiving his latest sentence that he planned to return.