"A Simple Accident," Jafar Panahi's New Film, to be Screened in the Competition Section of Cannes 2025

The film "A Simple Accident" by Jafar Panahi, an Iranian filmmaker opposed to the government, has been selected for the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival 2025 and will compete with eight other films. Jafar Panahi made this film without obtaining government permits and without adhering to the mandatory hijab for female actors in Iran. Previously, Panahi has participated in Cannes with films such as "Crimson Gold," "This Is Not a Film," and "Three Faces," winning awards including Best Film in the "Un Certain Regard" section and Best Screenplay. In this edition of Cannes, new works by renowned filmmakers such as Julia Ducournau, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, Joachim Trier, Carla Simon, Kelly Reichardt, and the Dardenne brothers will also be screened in the competition section. The 65-year-old Jafar Panahi is a prominent Iranian filmmaker internationally who was arrested and imprisoned in the summer of 2022 and was finally released temporarily on bail after nearly seven months in Evin prison following a hunger strike. His previous film, "No Bears" (2022), was screened at the 79th Venice Film Festival and won the Jury Special Prize. Since the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in the fall of 2022, the presence and screening of unofficial or underground Iranian films at international festivals and events have significantly increased, and these films have become the main representatives of Iranian cinema in the absence of licensed works from the official stream. The competition films at Cannes 2025 include "Eddington" directed by Ari Aster, a Western centered around the pandemic, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone; "The Phoenician Scheme" by Wes Anderson featuring Benicio del Toro as a European trader; "Nouvelle Vague" by Richard Linklater, a French-language film about Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave; "Alpha" by Julia Ducournau (winner of the Palme d'Or in 2021 for "Titane"), about an 11-year-old girl with HIV-positive parents in 1980s New York; "The History of Sound" by Oliver Hermanus starring Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal; "The Mastermind" by Kelly Reichardt, a film about art theft during the Vietnam War; "Young Mothers" by the Dardenne brothers, two previous Palme d'Or winners; and "Sentimental Value" by Joachim Trier, director of "The Worst Person in the World." Juliette Binoche, the French actress, will be the president of this year's jury. This is the first time in the last 60 years that two women have consecutively chaired the jury (last year it was Greta Gerwig). The Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 13 to May 24, 2025 (23 Ordibehesht to 3 Khordad), and the opening film will be "Leave One Day," the first feature by French director Amélie Bonen. This year, Robert De Niro will also receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony.