On the night of May 23rd, the 78th Cannes Film Festival concluded after 10 days of screenings and events. This year’s edition brought a historic moment for Iranian cinema: the Palme d’Or — the festival’s top honor — was awarded to Jafar Panahi for his film A Simple Accident. It marked a bold and powerful return to the global stage for the acclaimed filmmaker.
Cannes, regarded as the most prestigious film festival in Europe, has long become one of the world’s most influential cultural events. This year’s festival, like every year, featured global cinematic icons, notable films, and plenty of headlines, ending with the announcement of the official winners.
A Second Palme d’Or for Iranian Cinema
A Simple Accident becomes the second Iranian film in history to win the Palme d’Or. The first was Taste of Cherry by Abbas Kiarostami in 1997. While other Iranian films — such as The Salesman by Asghar Farhadi — have been featured in the main competition in the years since, their awards came in other categories: Best Actor for Shahab Hosseini and Best Screenplay for Farhadi.
Panahi’s film was made independently and without official approval from Iran’s cinema authorities. While few details about the film have been released, the story reportedly revolves around a minor car accident that sets off a chain of unforeseen events.
From Censorship to Global Recognition
Panahi’s last entry in Cannes’ main competition was in 2018 with Three Faces, which won Best Screenplay. His later film, No Bears, was also submitted to Cannes, though he was not permitted to attend. With this year’s Palme d’Or, Panahi joins an elite group of filmmakers — including Robert Altman, Henri-Georges Clouzot, and Michelangelo Antonioni — who have won top honors at all three major European festivals: Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.
In addition, both Panahi and Antonioni are the only directors to have also won the top prize at Locarno, the fourth key European film festival. Remarkably, Panahi has directed only 11 feature films to date, with six of them made under the constraints and restrictions he has faced since the late 2000s.
From The White Balloon to A Simple Accident
Panahi began his career working under Abbas Kiarostami and received Cannes’ Camera d’Or for his debut film, The White Balloon. Since 2009 and the political upheaval in Iran, he has faced imprisonment and bans due to his activism, and his realist cinematic approach has taken on a more political tone. Some critics have called this year’s Palme d’Or a political award, while others view it as a tribute to his resilience and a manifesto for independent Iranian cinema.
Art comes from the purest and most vital part of our being — a force that transforms darkness into compassion, hope, and new life. That is why we award the Palme d’Or to A Simple Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi.
— Juliette Binoche, President of the Jury, Cannes 2025
Iran’s Strong Presence at Cannes 2025
This year also marked the first time that two films from inside Iran were selected for Cannes’ main competition: A Simple Accident by Jafar Panahi and Women and Children by Saeed Roustaee. Although Women and Children was expected to earn Parinaz Izadyar the Best Actress award, it left the festival without any prizes.
Another standout at Cannes 2025 was Iranian documentary filmmaker Sepideh Farsi, with her documentary Lay Down Your Spirit and Walk. The film, which focuses on the life of a Palestinian female photojournalist in Gaza, gained heightened attention following the martyrdom of its central figure, Fatemeh Hassouneh, just a month before the film’s premiere.
