Iranian director Jafar Panahi expressed his intention to return to Iran once the Oscar season concludes, despite facing potential arrest due to his previous sentencing for alleged propaganda activities against the country. Panahi, known for his recent film “It Was Just An Accident,” which garnered Oscar nominations, was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison with additional restrictions by Iranian authorities.
In a recent interview with Radio Atlantic, Panahi reiterated his plan to return to Iran post the Oscar campaign. His lawyer, Mostafa Nili, mentioned the sentencing also included a ban on leaving Iran and joining any political or social groups, with plans to appeal the decision. Panahi, alongside other prominent figures, signed a statement supporting the protests against Iran’s Islamic Republic regime.
Panahi’s film, “It Was Just an Accident,” inspired by his personal encounters with imprisonment and those of fellow detainees in Tehran’s Evin Prison, received critical acclaim, including the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film’s success has shed light on Panahi’s risky filmmaking endeavors in Iran and his commitment to social engagement through his art.
Amidst the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Iran, Panahi’s collaborators, journalists Mehdi Mahmoudian and Vida Rabbani, faced detainment for their involvement in the protests. Panahi expressed concern over Mahmoudian’s arrest, emphasizing their shared history of imprisonment. Rabbani’s hunger strike to protest her unjust detention underscores the challenges faced by individuals targeted by Iranian authorities for their activism.
The plight of Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, who received an extended prison sentence and has faced severe mistreatment, has drawn international attention. Reports of abuse and human rights violations during the recent protests in Iran have raised concerns, with the death toll surpassing 7,000 according to activist groups. The Iranian government’s handling of the unrest and its reluctance to disclose accurate casualty figures have added to the escalating tensions within the country and on the global stage.