Jafar Panahi sentenced to prison again

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (known for Simple Accident) has been sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of spreading anti-regime propaganda.

Authorities in Iran alleged that Panahi produced a “subversive underground film” aimed at undermining the state. In addition to the prison term, the director faces a two-year travel ban. Panahi has been granted a 20-day window to file an appeal against the ruling.

In December 2025, Panahi was convicted in absentia on similar charges, which also carried a two-year travel restriction. The filmmaker’s legal troubles began in 2010 when he was first charged with anti-state propaganda. At that time, he managed to secure house arrest and a travel prohibition instead of incarceration. He was eventually permitted to leave Iran for the first time in 2023.

Simple Accident premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or. The narrative centers on a former prisoner who, by chance, encounters a figure from his past among his clients. He subsequently kidnaps the individual, forcing himself to confront a grueling moral dilemma: seek vengeance for his past suffering or choose the path of mercy.

Although Simple Accident was slated for a potential release in Russia, it failed to receive official distribution clearance from the Ministry of Culture.

Source: Film.ru