It Was Just An Accident in Theaters
and
present
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
A Film by Jafar Panahi
Now in Theaters
Farhang Foundation, in proud partnership with NEON RATED, is honored to present the theatrical screening of the latest award-winning masterpiece from the legendary Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, recipient of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or, one of the highest honors in world cinema.
Hailed by critics as one of the most powerful cinematic achievements of the year.
“A blistering, beautifully directed movie.”
The New York Times
“An extraordinary revenge parable. Every moment of it attests to the work of a master.”
Rolling Stone
Film Synopsis
Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to try and confirm Eghbal's identity. Master filmmaker Jafar Panahi creates a deeply felt moral thriller, where high stakes tension combines with unexpected flurries of humor and thoughtful, sometimes devastating questions regarding persecution and revenge.
About Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi, born in 1960 in Mianeh, Iran, is an acclaimed filmmaker known for his courageous, socially engaged cinema. After studying at Iran Broadcasting University and assisting Abbas Kiarostami, he gained international recognition with his debut feature The White Balloon (1995), which won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes. He went on to receive major awards at Locarno, Venice, Berlin, and Cannes for films such as The Mirror, The Circle, Crimson Gold, Offside, and Taxi Tehran, often focusing on issues like women's rights and social injustice in Iran. Despite facing censorship, imprisonment, and a 20-year filmmaking ban, Panahi continued to create powerful works—many in secret—including This Is Not a Film, Closed Curtain, 3 Faces, and No Bears. After a brief imprisonment in 2022, he was released in 2023 following a hunger strike. In 2025, his film It W as Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival making him only the fourth filmmaker in history to win the top prize at Berlin, Cannes, and Venice.
FILMOGRAPHY
2025 IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT – In competition, Cannes Film Festival
2022 NO BEARS – Special Jury Prize, Venice Film Festival
2018 3 FACES – Best Screenplay Prize, Cannes Film Festival
2015 TAXI TEHRAN – Golden Bear and Fipresci Prize, Berlin Film Festival
2013 CLOSED CURTAIN – Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, Berlin Film Festival
2011 THIS IS NOT A FILM – Out of Competition, Cannes Film Festival
2006 OFFSIDE – Silver Bear for Best Director, Berlin Film Festival
2003 CRIMSON GOLD – Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival
2000 THE CIRCLE – Golden Bear and Fipresci Prize, Berlin Film Festival
1997 THE MIRROR – Golden Leopard, Locarno Film Festival
1995 THE WHITE BALLOON – Caméra d'Or, Cannes Film Festival
