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| Jafar Panahi. |
Howie Movshovitz (TFF 2025): "Jafar Panahi has guts. And genius. Since his first short film in 1988, Panahi has presented a persistent challenge to Iran’s tyrannical leadership with his rich, complex, sometimes challenging and sometimes delightful films, among them THE WHITE BALLOON (1995, winner of Camera d’Or for best first feature at Cannes), THE CIRCLE (2000) and CRIMSON GOLD (2003). All have been banned in his home country, presumably because Iran’s leadership feels threatened by the clarity and actuality of Panahi’s work, and by his refusal to be intimidated by the regime."
"Panahi challenges Iranian oppression in shifting and occasionally subtle ways. In THE WHITE BALLOON, which he wrote with his mentor Abbas Kiarostami—a Telluride Tributee recognized as the greatest of Iranian filmmakers—Panahi tells the story of a fierce little girl who has to navigate thieves and con-men when trying to buy a holiday gift. In THE MIRROR (1997), a child suddenly shifts from being a character in the film to being an actor at work. When she quits and stomps away, she is soon lost in the tumult of the city. One can see Panahi’s signature style emerging: a blend of fiction and documentary with commentary on the filmmaking process itself, spiked with coincidence and accident."
"Like all great filmmakers (and novelists), the particularity of Panahi’s films opens up the entire society for us to view and consider. His ambitious THE CIRCLE tells the interlocking stories of seven women, each of whom has had problems with legal authorities. By the end, Panahi has offered a portrait of a society that seems intent on creating misery for women. CRIMSON GOLD reconstructs the story that led to one man’s desperate act. As it progresses, this drama offers a sharp examination of Iran’s corruption and inequality."
"Panahi was first imprisoned in 2010 and banned for 20 years from making films. Soon after release, his THIS IS NOT A FILM (2011) shows him describing, into his iPhone, the film he wants to make. Is it a film? Perhaps Panahi does not violate the literal terms of his punishment—but, this “non-film” demonstrated how Panahi will continue to create, no matter what constraints are placed upon him. His CLOSED CURTAIN (2013), TAXI (2015) and NO BEARS (2022) followed. Each was increasingly dangerous to make, each deepened his rift with authorities, and each demonstrated more resourcefulness, creativity and courage. The Iranian secret police arrested Panahi again in 2022."
"His new film IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT offers a story set in the aftermath of imprisonment, as former inmates cope with the corruption that has become endemic to their society. When he accepted the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Panahi remembered those still in prison, including fellow artists. “How can I be happy, how can I feel free, if they were still inside? How can I rejoice ... when so many of the greatest directors and actresses of Iranian cinema are today prevented from working?”" –Howie Movshovitz
This program includes a compilation of clips, an on-stage interview and a screening of IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (see opposite page) in its entirety.
AA: The resistance hero Jafar Panahi received a standing ovation from the audience both in the beginning and the end of the tribute. He made a cellphone movie of us sending a Happy Birthday message to his collaborator Mehti Mahumed (name to be confirmed) in prison in Iran.
CLIPREEL
White Balloon
[mother and daughter in car, roadblock, videotape, wedding video]
Mirror
This Is Not a Film
Taxi
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