Iran’s Panahi Claims Top Prize at Cannes with ‘It Was Just an Accident’

At the 78th Cannes Film Festival held on Saturday, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was awarded the Palme d’Or for his film “It Was Just an Accident,” out of 21 competing entries. This win secured him the festival’s highest honor.

The movie is a suspense story centered around a group of ex-prisoners in Iran who kidnap the guard they believe was involved in their torture during incarceration.

Panahi, who spent time in prison from July 2022 to February 2023, is among Iran’s most globally recognized film directors.

Previously, he has claimed the highest honors at both the Venice Film Festival and the film festival held in Berlin, Germany’s capital city.

The festival’s second highest honor, the Grand Prix, was awarded to Joachim Trier for his movie “Sentimental Value.”

The Jury Award went to “Sound of Falling” directed by Mascha Schilinski and “Sirât” helmed by Oliver Laxe.

Kleber Mendonça Filho was awarded the top honor for direction with “The Secret Agent,” and Bi Gan’s “Resurrection” garnered the festival’s Special Award.

Nadia Melliti took home the prize for best actress for her role in the film “Little Sister.” Wagner Moura won as best actor for “The Secret Agent.”

The award for the top screenplay was presented to Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for their movie “Young Mothers.”

The panel overseeing the 78th Cannes Film Festival was led by actress Juliette Binoche.

The concluding award ceremony of the festival proceeded as scheduled even though there had been a power outage in the city of Cannes earlier that day, an incident officials believe was due to deliberate acts of vandalism.

Around 160,000 residences in the seaside town and nearby areas experienced disruptions on Saturday after a fire broke out at a power plant during the night, according to a statement from RTE, the electricity grid operator, posted on X. However, power supply was eventually reinstated later that same day.

Although the central hub of the event—the Festival Palace—maintained its autonomous electrical source and remained operational, movie presentations at alternative venues experienced disruptions.

The police continue their investigation into the power outage. According to a statement from a police spokesperson, officials suspect that the blaze in the township of Tanneron might have been intentionally ignited.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t determine if there was a link between the incident and the film festival.