Iranian master Jafar Panahi returns to the Cannes Film Festival (13-24 May) with It Was Just an Accident, a tightly guarded mystery film that will world-premiere in the main competition (see the news). While plot details remain under wraps, the film’s enigmatic logline hints at a narrative driven by cascading tension: “What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.”

Panahi’s return to the Croisette comes after a series of politically charged and formally inventive works that have made him a fixture at major international festivals. His last Cannes appearance was in 2021 with the omnibus documentary The Year of the Everlasting Storm, presented as a Special Screening. In 2018, he competed with Three Faces, which picked up the Best Screenplay Award.

Over the decades, Panahi has cemented his reputation as one of Iranian cinema’s most acclaimed auteurs, with titles such as The Circle (Golden Lion at Venice 2000), Offside (Silver Bear at the 2006 Berlinale), This Is Not a Film, Taxi (Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlinale) and No Bears, which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2022.

Despite his international acclaim, Panahi has faced frequent persecution by the Iranian authorities. His most recent arrest came in July 2022, after he signed an appeal condemning police violence. He was detained for several months. In April 2023, his travel ban was lifted, and he reportedly travelled to France before returning to Tehran. It remains unclear whether he will attend the Cannes premiere of It Was Just an Accident, though it appears unlikely.

It Was Just an Accident is being produced by Panahi himself in collaboration with Philippe Martin for Les Films Pelléas – the Paris-based outfit behind Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning Anatomy of a Fall [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Justine Triet
scheda film] – and co-produced by Bidibul Productions (Luxembourg) and Pio & Co (France). Post-production was completed in France.

mk2 Films is selling the picture worldwide.